Road To The Heart
by xOraclex
Summary: The road to the heart is a complex passage for anyone to find: expecially for a teenager. Things are not always as they appear. Sometimes it takes self discovery. And as Jess Aarons is about to find out, it's more diverse than he ever imagined. INPROGRESS
1. I forgot Something!

**Author's Note:**

**When I saw "Bridge to ****Terabithia****" I got very emotional. I knew I didn't know these characters as real people, but I felt a deep sense of loss. That's why I have created this ****fanficiton****. Basically, Jess has been living in a fantasy the past 4 months, read this to discover how he finds his reality. ****The Way Bridge to Terabitha should have ended**

**Please review, and thanks for reading!**

**Oracle**

* * *

**Also, this is not a one-shot. There will be more chapters coming soon. **

* * *

Chapter 1: I forgot something 

It was a clear, but late morning, right after a rain shower. The Earth was clean, the sun was shining, and Jess Aarons was relaxing on his bed in his room, scratching his colored pencils on a very special drawing in his notebook.

It wasn't just any drawing. It was his masterpiece. A picture of a very special girl he knew. He dropped the pencil, proud how it turned out, and now finished. He looked at it admiringly.

"Jess! Jess!" May Belle yelled. Her tiny feet made a screechy sound on the wooden, dry floor as she ran into the bedroom that she and Jess currently shared. She made an even squeakier stop in front of her Jess's bed. He was startled, and quickly shut his notebook, hiding the drawing. No WAY did he want his kid sister to ask him what who it was. But, she was bound to find out someday. She was always snooping in his stuff.

It was now that he noticed that she was holding the phone in her little hand.

"I called you THREE times!" With a sly smile, and a girly giggle, she held out the phone to him. "It's your giiiiirlfriiiiend!"

Only one person came to his mind when she said that: Leslie. Leslie Burke. She is the girl next door – his best friend. She is unique, and ever since he laid eyes on her, he knew she was different than all the other girls. She was sweet, had spirit, and was filled with so much life. Unlike Jess' sisters, the only females he knew well, who were always fighting and screaming at each other, Leslie had a spark in her that he adored. But most of all, she accepted him for who he was.

Which was why he was so confused. He liked Leslie, a lot in fact, as a friend, but he kept wondering if he liked her more than that, and if she liked him that way too. It was something he was still trying to figure out.

Jess snatched the phone away from May Belle. "She's not my girlfriend!" He tried to look offended, but couldn't help wondering if she would be someday…

He shook off that feeling. Of course not! How could he be so stupid?

May Belle didn't seem to be moving from the spot she was standing at, obviously curious about the call. He shooed her away with his hand, clearly asking for privacy. May Belle let out a "that's not fair!" huff, and marched away with her arms crossed.

As soon as he heard her leave, he began to talk on the phone, trying to act casual.

"Hey."

"Jess?" The voice sounded familiar to him, but it wasn't Leslie. "Uhh…."

"Hi, Its Miss Edmunds, from school!"

He froze. His heart started pounding. Miss Edmunds? Miss Edmunds is calling _me_? She was by far, the prettiest, most fun teacher in the whole school…and Jess had a major crush on her.

"Um…hi."

"I was wondering…are you busy today? I thought you might like to go with me to Washington…the art museum?"

Jess' once frozen heart began to pound like crazy! He had never been to a museum before…let ALONE with the most beautiful person he'd ever SEEN.

"Uh…I have to ask my mom."

"Ok." She sounded so chipper on the other end of the line. Jess gently set down the phone, tip-toeing down the hall to his parent's room, but he couldn't help leaping for joy!

Jess peeked in. His mother was still in bed, a sleepy lump under the covers. "Mom?" he whispered.

"mmmmmm…." She was still half asleep.

"Miss Edmund's invited me to go with the art museum with her in Washington…is that ok?"

"Wassshington?" Her syllables were blurred as she turned over, lying comfortably with her back to Jess. "Yeah…I'll be back later."

"mmhmm." Jess hurried quickly back to his room, picking up the phone with hast.

"Miss Edmunds? I can go."

Ten minutes later, Jess was dressed: in his best casual clothes, and waiting for Miss Edmund's car to come up the road. He paced nervously. _What should I say…I get so tongue-tied when I talk to her!_

He didn't come up with a plan, for at that moment; Miss Edmunds' car whirred around the corner, and parked right in front of Jess. He opened the passenger door, trying not to seem so anxious, and buckled his seatbelt. "Thanks again for letting me come, Miss Edmunds."

She smiled, making his heart melt. "You're welcome."

The car once again started up, and they were both silent as they pulled away. Feeling awkward, Jess looked out the window, watching Leslie's house as they drove away. _I can't wait to tell Leslie about this!_ He beamed to himself. He suddenly felt a longing for Leslie to be in the backseat with them, laughing and chatting away. _No! I won't think about her…I'm in a car with Miss Edmunds, and all I can think about is Leslie!_

Miss Edmunds must have noticed him looking out the window. "Did you forget something?" she asked gently. Jess thought about this. _I don't want Leslie to ruin this moment._

"No." he said quickly.

"Oh…ok."

The next 5 minutes was followed by dead silence. _Why am I not talking? I must look so stupid! _And yet, Jess couldn't find himself to say _anything_. Here he was, in the car with the most gorgeous crush he'd ever had…and he had a zipper for a mouth!

As they went past all the corn fields and endless road, Jess was beginning to get bored. _It'll be worth it in the end._ he reminded himself. So he kept gazing out the window. Before long, he saw 2 runners, sweaty and hot, on the side of the road. He watched them in the rear-view mirror until they were gone.

"Great day for a run, huh?" said Miss Edmunds, attempting at conversation.

"Uh-huh."

Jess bit his lip, thinking back to the race at school…

!-!

_All the boys lined up for the race on the football field. On one side of Jess was his worst tormenter, Gary __Fulcher__, and on the other side f him, Gary's friend, who was also a bully. "I'm going to win this, Aarons, so don't even try!" Gary sneered at him. His other friend joined the laughter. Jess just shook his head and tried to ignore them. He started to stretch his legs._

_Just then, someone else walked up to the starting line, crouching down in a starting position. Jess looked over to see that it was that new blonde girl from his class. _

_Gary also saw. He stood upright, staring at her with disgust. "Um, this race is for boys __?"_

_Jess looked up at him slyly. "What's the matter, Gary? Afraid a girl's __gonna__ beat you?"_

_Gary narrowed his eyes at both of them, but got down to his starting position again. _

_Jess looked over at the girl. She was smiling at him. Embarrassed, he looked away._

_The gym teacher blew his whistle. _

"_ON YOUR MARK…GET SET…__GO__!!"_

_Off they bolted. At first, Gary and Jess were at the same pace, but Jess soon got ahead. Before long he could see the finish line. He heard May Belle from the sidelines. __"__Whoo__ Go Jess!" He smiled at the victory that was soon his. He would be named the fastest kid in school! _

_He felt the presence of someone at his side. He looked over. It was that blonde girl, and suddenly she was ahead of him! With all his might, he tried to catch up to her, but the girl was too quick for him. Soon, the finish line was past him. The blonde girl had won. _

_Jess breathed heavy, sitting down in the grass, defeated and pride-struck._

"_Jess! __Jess!"__ May Belle __came__ up to him, sitting down next to him. "__Did'gya__win__?"_

_So out of breath that he couldn't speak, Jess shook his head. May Belle __looked__ disappointed._

_Suddenly, the blonde girl came up to him, kneeling down, and offering her hand to help him up. "Hey" She said. "It's Jess, right?"_

_Jess only stared at her. He got up on his own and walked away, leaving Leslie still on the ground._

!-!

Jess snapped his head back in gear. _I __gotta__ stop thinking about her._ He looked around the car, and stopped cold at what he saw on her windshield.

Miss Edmunds noticed this. "Oh, you like that? I got that white bobble-head dog at the fair last year. Cute, isn't he?"

"Yeah." said Jess. _P.T.…_

!-!

"_Jess?__ Where are you?" Jess turned around, a smile on his face. He was in __Terabithia__, and Leslie had just crossed over on the rope. __He held the dog close to him, scratching __it's__ ears. Jess heard running, and soon, Leslie was right across from him. "What's that?" she said, filled with wonder. __"Our troll hunter."__ Jess let the dog down, and the curious puppy sniffed at Leslie's feet. "Where did you get him?"_

"_Free puppy bin at a bus stop." He smiled again. "What should we call him?" He asked her. "Prince __Terrien__." Then she giggled. __"P.T. for short."_

_Jess shuffled his feet around nervously. "I…got him for you."_

_There was no mistaking the delight in her eyes. "Oh thanks, Jess!" _

_What happened next was something Jess wasn't expecting. Leslie came up to him and hugged him. At first he felt embarrassed, but then, he savored this moment. It was the first time he'd hugged a girl that wasn't related to him. It was the first time he felt this way…_

_All too soon, she let go, and Jess dropped the feeling he felt in his heart, got on his sweatshirt, and went to the tree house with Leslie on the side of him. But he couldn't help the urge of wanting to hold her close to him again…_

!-!

Jess looked over at Miss Edwards. Man, was she pretty.

!-!

"_Ok, everyone!__ Grab and instrument!" Miss Edwards clapped her hands, and all the students rushed up to the front of the room, digging through the instrument box and shoving each other to get the best one. All the students were up there._

_Except Jess._

_His eyes were fixated on Miss Edwards, a stare that couldn't be broken. Leslie, with her instrument, a tambourine, shook it at him as she went past. She leaned down, and whispered in his ear. "Take a picture. It'll last longer."_

_He looked up at her, still with the expression he wore looking at Miss Edwards, but now he was staring at Leslie. She smiled, and went past him to her desk. The entire class started singing a song, smiling and using their instruments. Jess was the only one just sitting._

!-!

Jess was starting to get frustrated. _Every time I try to think about Miss Edmunds, I think about Leslie instead!_ He sighed.

"…gee, that rainfall this morning sure was a downpour, wasn't it?"

"Yes…" answered Jess.

!-!

_Jess looked up. He could have sworn he felt a raindrop. "Did you feel…?" He asked Leslie, who was sitting next to him in the tree house. Just as he said that, a small raindrop plopped on Leslie's cheek. She looked up too. "Maybe we should head back." she said. _

"_Yeah."__ Suddenly, an enormous BOOM! __of__ thunder was heard, sending them both running out of the tree house and to the creek. Once they ran there, Jess yelled to her above the noise, "I'll go first!" she nodded. As he swung over the creek, shoe tips were soaked by the water. __Jess thought._

_He had only gone a few steps when he felt her grab his hand again. "I can barely see a thing." she said. "Can you lead?"_

_With a smiled, Jess nodded._

!-!

Jess had to smile at that memory. It almost made him wish she was here.

"Hey Jess, look at this Bridge!" said Miss Edmunds. "It's cool, isn't it?" she asked.

Jess looked out the window, as they went over a smooth, wooden bridge. Underneath was a flowing, roaring creek. "Yeah." said Jess. _Just like __Terabithia__…_

!-!

"_Look how long the creek goes on!" said Leslie, looking down to the rapids. Today, Jess and Leslie were scoping out their Kingdom, trying to memorize every detail. "Want to follow it?" Leslie asked anxiously, looking at Jess with pleading eyes. He looked on. It looked steep and questionable. "I __dunno__, Leslie…"_

"_Aw, come on! Where's your sense of adventure?" He looked away from her._

"_Keep your mind wide open." She reminded him. __"All right, all right."_

_They followed downstream for about 10 minutes, walking. At first, the stream was course, and rough, sharp rocks all over and hard to fight the current. But later, it melted into a calm, shallow pool. "Cool! I didn't know that the stream was like this…" said Jess, wading into the ankle-deep water. It seemed so clear…and smooth._

_Leslie waded in too, and standing right next to Jess, she closed her eyes. "Um, what are you doing?" asked Jess. "Close your eyes and see!"_

_Jess did so, but nothing happened. "Leslie—"_

"_Shh__! Listen!"_

_Again, Jess listened._

"_Do you hear it?"_

"_Hear what?"_

"_The peace…the quietness."_

_Jess listened again but heard nothing. "I still don't hear it, Leslie."_

_She opened her eyes and looked at him. "Listen with your heart."_

_He closed his eyes again. He heard it. __The whistle of the wind.__The sway of the trees._

_The quietness._

"_Wow." He whispered to Leslie. "That's so cool."_

!-!

Jess looked down at his seatbelt, wanting more that _ever_ for Leslie to be here with him.

_I should have asked her to come—_

Miss Edmunds piped up again. "So…this is the first time at a museum, huh?"

He nodded, closing his eyes. _I wonder if Leslie's ever been to an art museum before…_

!-!

"_Hey Jess, you're really good at art." Leslie flipped through his notebook, studying all the drawings. "Thanks." She handed him the book again, and he took it as they boarded the bus. Leslie sat behind him. "Um, it was your birthday the other day, right?"_

"_Yes."_

"_Happy birthday!"__ Leslie reached under the seat, and grabbed something. "Here's your present."_

_She handed t to him. It looked like a wooden briefcase, but when he opened it, it was the __most coolest__ paint set he'd ever seen. _

_Leslie looked on over his shoulder. "I hope you like it."_

_Jess was speechless. "Isn't this…expensive?"_

"_Well, I could exchange it for a cheaper one." Leslie offered. "__no__no__, that's ok."_

_Jess turned back to look at her in the eye. They were only inches apart. "Thanks." The next few seconds, they only smiled at each other._

"_Leslie and Jess!__Sitting in a tree!"__ May Belle __started__ chanting form the seat across from Leslie. _

"_K-I-S-S—"_

_but__ the rest was muffed when Leslie put her hand over May Belle's mouth. Jess and Leslie only looked at each other and laughed. _

!-!

"This Washington traffic is terrible!! I don't think I have ever sat this long… "

"Huh?"

Up ahead, Jess could see the art museum, the parking lot nearly full. Miss Edmunds tried to find a spot to park.

He beamed at the thought of the art museum…and realized that

Leslie wouldn't be here to enjoy it with him.

Jess sighed. He looked over at her. He had been blinded by her beauty; he never really knew her _inside_. What her heart was like, her personalities, anything. Was her beauty only skin-deep?

Probably.

He shook his head in disgust at himself. How could he have liked her? Not only was she like, ten years older than him, but he realized he didn't know her at all. He couldn't talk to her as easily as he could talk to _Leslie_.

Leslie. Leslie Burke. His…_best_ friend? She had stuck by him all this time, she talked to him, she had fun with him, she appreciated him, and that's why…

That's when it hit him. Now, he realized it. He knew. He knew! This entire year, he had fantasized about Miss Edmunds. And just a second ago, he lost it, and now had found it. Now, he knew that his heart pointed to, belonged to, and lead to—

"STOP THE CAR!" Jess yelled, so loud, that it startled Miss Edmunds.

"What? What is it?"

"I forgot something!" he looked frantic.

"What?? What did you forget??"

He looked Miss Edmunds straight in the eye, **not **with so-called love as he had before.

"We need to go back."

"Why? We're nearly here! The entrance is right—"

"Please? I, I just need to...go back."

Miss Edmunds sighed. But she turned the car around, sped off out of Washington, and back home.

Jess didn't say anything, at first, but after a few minutes on the road,

"Um, can you go a little faster?"

Jess could have sworn that he saw Miss Edmunds roll her eyes, but she did as Jess said.

He smiled.

He couldn't wait.

**Please review! If I get enough, I'll add the next chapter!**

**Oracle **


	2. A Close Thing

Chapter 2: A Close Thing

"Pull up at the curve, please." Jess was so anxious; he quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and bolted out of the car. Miss Edmunds was parked in his driveway, but he quickly ran over next door.

"Jess! Jess, wait!" called Miss Edmunds, but Jess didn't hear her. After all, one of his favorite things to do was run. He ran up to the Burke's house, ringing the doorbell without missing a beat.

Bill, Leslie's father, answered the door. "Hello Jess! Looking for Leslie, I suppose?"

Jess nodded. "Is she here?"

"You just missed her. She went off in the woods somewhere I think; she said something about a stream?"

"Oh." _She's going to Terabithia…without me? I gotta hurry! The stream is so high now!_ "Thanks, Mr. Burke."

Jess ran off to the road, to Terabithia.

Mrs. Burke joined Bill at the screen door, watching as Jess ran down the road.

"You know, he reminds me of someone."

"Oh?"

She nodded. "Yeah. You."

They both chuckled, and went back in the house.

Jess was running as fast as he could down the dirt road. _The road to my heart leads to Leslie._

"JESS! WAIT FOR ME!" Miss Edmunds tried yelling to him, but he just ignored her.

Miss Edmunds huffed, and tried running in her high-heels, taking dainty steps. "Wait for me!" He was soon out of her sight.

He ran, feeling the wind carry him. _I've got to tell Leslie!_ Just the thought of seeing her made him go faster. He ran, quick and steady. The road seemed to continue on and on, but he knew just where he was going. With a cut through the field and a non-stop sprint, he finally made it to the woods.

He nearly collapsed. He had never run that fast before. He put his hands on his knees and breathed heavily. Once he caught his breath, he yelled,

"Leslie!"

Nothing.

"Leslie?"

Still nothing.

He started running again, past the trees and bushes. "Leslie! Where are you?"

Still nothing. He was confused. _They said she'd be here._ He looked around. "Leslie?"

He couldn't hear P.T. either. He was starting to get frustrated. On and on he went through the woods, following the sound of the stream. "Les—"

Then he saw her.

Standing on the log, ready to swing over to Terabithia, was Leslie. Her blonde hair whipped in the wind, and even though he couldn't see her face, Jess thought she had never looked so beautiful. _Beauty isn't just skin-deep. _He reminded himself. _It comes from inside you._

"Leslie?"

She turned around, seeing him, and their eyes met. He loved her blue eyes. She smiled at him.

"Jess." She whispered. His heart gave a great leap; a leap more powerful than any Miss Edmunds could have given him.

Jess had never smiled so big in his life. He began running towards her. He was almost there, when suddenly, everything changed.

He was within a few feet of her. Leslie was distracted by him, and lost her footing on the log. Grabbing on the rope for balance, she cried out, desperately holding on, but with all the sudden pressure, the old rope snapped. Life seemed to go in slow motion. Leslie frantically looked at him, like she was about to cry. Jess's expression was even more terrified then her own. Leslie looked more scared than Jess had ever seen in his life. So scared, that he only saw her mouth one word:

_Jess_

She screamed, so loud, it seemed to pierce into his heart. Jess could feel his heart in his throat, and a pain spread through him, more than he could bear. He was loosing the only thing valuable to him.

All of his memories of Leslie passed before his eyes.

Leslie hugging him. Leslie holding his hand. Leslie offering him a piece of gum. Leslie and him in the tree house. Leslie and him writing the fake love letter. Leslie running with him. He didn't even get to say what he had come to say—

"LESLIE!!" Jess yelled. He tried to grab her hand in time, but it was too late. With another scream that was silenced by a loud THUMP, he heard a splash in the swollen stream.

"LESLIE!" He yelled again. He peered over the edge, a look of pure terror on his face. She was nowhere to be seen. The stream had become swift and deep with all of the rainfall recently. But it wasn't that deep. He should see her. Then his heart dropped.

He watched helplessly as he saw her lifeless figure drifting downstream. _I've got to save her!_

His feelings changed from fear to anger. _We rule Terabithia: NOTHING CRUSHES US!_

Remembering that, Jess raced downstream, following Leslie over the rapids. "Leslie!! Can you hear me!!?" He tried desperately to keep up, but couldn't. He tried with all his might.

He thought frantically about diving in, but the water was too deep, and swimming against the current was impossible. Just then, he remembered:

_The pool of clear water!_

He took off running again, faster and faster. With every step, he thought about Leslie.

!-!

"_This is Leslie Burke. She just moved here." Monstermouth said to the class. This tuned Jess's ears. He looked up, and the girl he saw was like no one he'd ever seen before. She had blonde hair, about chin length, that flipped out. Her clothes were mostly strips, and layers. Jess was impressed. The girl gave a smile to the group of students, but seeing no one return it, looked down embarrassed. _

"_Since there are no available desks, you may sit at mine for today." Monstermouth continued with the lesson. The girl sat her book bag down, but accidentally flipped it over, sending all of the contents spewed on the floor. The class let out a chuckle. The girl looked down, and picked up her belongings. Jess wasn't laughing. He almost wanted to help her, but…no one helps the new kid._

!-!

Jess was beginning to sweat. He looked over in the stream, trying to find her. _Hang on, Leslie!_

!-!

"_What's this?" _

"_Whoa!" _

_Jess and Leslie looked up to a broken down wooden house in a tree. "A tree house!"_

"_This is it." she started to climb. "Uh...Leslie, is that safe?"_

"_Of course!" She got to the top, careful not to step in places where the wood was missing. "This is so cool, Jess! You gotta come up here!" Jess started up after her._

_Leslie started yelling out loud. "We have come here to free you from the Dark Master! Show us you are here!"_

"_Leslie, what are you—"_

_A sudden gust of wind picked up, and the trees shook. A loud wail came from these two things combined. Leslie raised her hands up in fists, laughing as the wind blew all around her. Suddenly, it died down._

_Jess refused to believe it. "That was just a lucky chance."_

"_Oh yeah?" Leslie yelled again, "We can't hear you!"_

_Again the wind picked up, louder than before. Jess was startled. Leslie called down to him, "This is our kingdom, we can do anything we want!"_

_She jumped from the tree house to a different tree, looking like an eagle. Jess gasped, thinking she would fall, but she landed in a branch without an injury. "Come on!"_

_Jess ran over, and like her, he flew from branch to branch, making it to the top with her. He laughed. How fun and easy it was!_

"_Look, you can see the whole kingdom up here!" _

_Sure enough, there was nothing but vast plains, green mountains, clear blue water…_

_And it was all theirs._

"_What do we call this place?"_

_Leslie smiled. "Terabithia."_

!-!

Finally, Jess made it to the pool. He had been sprinting non-stop and was completely exhausted. Hastily, he looked around for Leslie. He gasped when he saw her. She was face down floating in the water, almost sinking. One of her striped arm warmers was gone. She looked…dead.

Quickly, Jess ran into the water, splashing all over, but he didn't care. He picked her up, trying to be very careful about supporting her head, which he guessed was injured. He was trying not to cry. _Please don't die._ He begged. _How long has it been?, he thought._

Once on the opposite shore, Terabithia, he set her down gently, frantic about what to do.

Then, it hit him! Last year, his parents had signed him up for a CPR class at a hospital. "It may come in handy someday." His mother use to tell him. _Moms know everything, don't they?_ He thought to himself.

He pushed up his sleeves, and gave a determined exhale. Still, he felt slightly nervous. What if he does it wrong?

It didn't matter, as long as Leslie lived.

He tilted up her chin, and gave a few taps on her neck, to see if she was awake. No response._ She's not breathingt! Now I need a by-stander to call 911…_

"Jess?!" He looked up, and there was Miss Edmunds, panting like a dog on the other side of the stream. One of her shoes was missing, and she looked filthy. "Jess, what are you…?" and then, she noticed Leslie unconscious, who Jess was kneeling over. "Oh my goodness!" She covered her mouth in shock.

"Go back and get help!" He yelled to her. "Call 911!"

"What?!" She began panting all over again. "I came all the way here, and…hey, I know CPR…why don't I take care of Leslie and _you_ get help?"

Jess started getting mad all over again. Miss Edmunds, no matter how much he used to like her, wasn't allowed in his and Leslie's sacred kingdom.

"No, go back and get help! I know what I'm doing!" he yelled at her.

"But—"

"Leslie needs me! She might die!"

With another huff, Miss Edmunds started running back to the house to call 911.

Jess looked down in Leslie's pale face.

He put his ear to her chest.

Nothing.

He moved back some of her hair from her face. "Please don't die. I need you." He knew that she couldn't hear him, but somehow it gave him hope. With a deep breath, he began doing CPR. (**Author's note: the following is real CPR)**

Since he had already tried to get her to wake up, he now opened her mouth, and put his ear to it to hear for breathing. There was none. _He_ breathed even heavier now. _I've always wanted to do this…but why am I so nervous?_ He looked down at her. _She won't know anyway…this could save her life. _He took a big breath, pinched her nose…

And pressed his mouth to hers.

He exhaled hard into her mouth, enough to get her chest to rise, trying to get her to breathe. Once her chest fell, he tried again. Nothing.

He released, starting chest compressions. He placed the heel of his hand in the middle of her chest, interlacing his other hand in a first on top of it. He remembered to give 30 blows.

_1…2…3…4…5…c'mon, breathe!_

He counted all the way to thirty. _Still_ nothing. He was on the verge of tears. "Leslie, please wake up!"

He repeated the process, but still, there was no response.

He tried mouth to mouth again, and _still_, there was no response from Leslie. "I won't let you die." He said out loud, and for one last try, pressed his mouth to hers again. He used as much air as he could the first time, letting her chest rise and fall, and then he tried again, putting his whole heart into it…

Suddenly, he felt her retch underneath him. It was the best feeling he had ever felt. Giving life to a person was more than he could ever imagine. He quickly released his lips from hers, as she coughed out water, and letting in enormous gasps of breath. She tried to sit upright, gasping, looking around fearfully. Jess was equally breathing heavy. Then, she noticed him next to her. "Jess?" She was weak, but alive.

He had kept her alive.

He hugged her fiercely, burying his face in her shoulder. "I though I lost you!"

She squeezed him back, feeling comfort in his arms. "Oh, my head."

He let go of her, gently lowering her down to the ground. He wiped the dirt off her cheeks. "Just rest, Leslie. You're going to be ok." She nodded slowly. Jess smiled down at her. He looked up suddenly to hear an ambulance approaching. "They can't find out about Terabithia." she whispered to him. Jess nodded. "I'll carry you."

She entwined her arms around his neck, and he lifted her up in his arms. Jess walked slowly across the pool, an inch at a time. Leslie rested her head against his shoulder.

Realizing she was comfortably in his arms, he found this a perfect time to tell her.

"Leslie?"

"Hmm?"

"I…wanted to tell you something when I first came here…"

"What…Jess?"

He swallowed hard.

"Leslie, I—"

"Over here!!" He heard her dad, Bill scream, and saw him pointing from up stream towards them. He had gotten through the woods first and was directing the swarm of policemen, firemen and paramedics came running over to them, who seemed to be jabbering a million miles a minute. "What happened?" "Get a stretcher over here!"

"Is she all right?" "Who are you?" Leslie was torn from Jess and put carefully on a stretcher. "Jess?" she looked around at all the strange people hovering over her. "Please, I'm fine! Let me stay with Jess!"

"Oh, honey!" her mother came running up, joining Bill's side. She was in tears. "We were so worried! Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. Jess saved me! Please, let me stay with Jess."

"No, honey, you need to go to the hospital to be checked out. Jess can visit you later, ok?"

"No!" Leslie was nearly yelling at them. "I need him to be with me!" Jess _almost _blushed. But he needed her as well.

Bill said to Jess, "Would you like to come along?"

"Yes, of course."

Leslie, now calm that Jess was coming along, rested her head back with ease. Jess jumped up into the ambulance with her, not taking his eyes off her. Her parents sat on the opposite end, watching them together. "I told you he reminded me of you." Judy said to her husband. They were both very thankful that this special boy had not only saved their daughter's life, but also had been there for her.

Jess looked over at Leslie. She was staring back at him.

He took her hand in his, and gave it a light squeeze. He whispered so only she could hear,

"Nothing Crushes Us."

**Author's Note:**

**Yes, that **_**was**_** real CPR. I had to do research on it to get it right! And, for those of you who might be confused:**

**Mouth-to-mouth recessitation is also called the Kiss Of Life. So that's what Jess meant when he said, **_**"I've always wanted to do this."**_

**And, Jess and Leslie are 14 in this story.**

**Just so you know. ;)**

**Hopefully, by learning CPR from researching for this story, someday, I too can save a life. I encourage you to learn it. It just "might come in handy one day!"**

**Please review! More chappies coming soon!**

**Oracle**


	3. Prince Charming

**Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! I'll be writing the next chapter soon, so stay tuned!**

**Oracle ;)**

Chapter 3: Prince Charming

Leslie was unconscious.

_She looks so peaceful. But, is she alright?_ Jess thought to himself. They had only been on the road for a short time. She breathed softly, barely stirring.

Jess was still holding her hand when her eyes rolled back. Then, there was a flurry of activity. "Move it, kid." A paramedic shoved him away, startling him.

"What's going on?" Packages were ripped open, an IV was started. Jess was amazed at how little the paramedics talked. They seemed to know what they were doing.

"Patient is unconscious. Requesting Mearo-team." radioed one paramedic. Then, he rambled on some kind of gibberish. "Ready for intubation."

"What's that?" asked Jess.

He was ignored as the paramedic shoved a hose roughly down Leslie's throat. They did it so quick, it had to hurt.

"Doesn't that hurt her?"

"They're helping her breath, Jess." said Mrs. Burke, patting him on the knee.

"Can't you do it more gently—"

"No."

"Pulse?"

"65 and falling."

"How long is it going to take us to get there?" asked Jess again.

"Jack! What our ETA?"

"Five minutes!" the driver yelled. _Five minutes?_ It seemed like forever to Jess. He looked out the back window, seeing Mr. Burke's old pickup following right behind them. He looked across to Mrs. Burke, who tried to smile, but the tension in her face didn't let it happen.

In some way to comfort, Jess took one of Leslie's hands, which had gone pale, putting it between both his hands. "She feels cold." He informed the paramedics, starting to rub her hand to warm it. "Nothing crushes us." Jess kept assuring her and himself, in a whisper. "You're going to be alright." He kept repeating it out loud, "You're going to be aright."

One of the paramedics was now talking on the phone. "ETA: Two minutes!"

Those two minutes seemed to take forever.

Only once did Jess look away from Leslie, when he felt the ambulance come to a stop.

"We must be at the hospital." He thought out loud, in a hushed tone. Suddenly, the doors rushed open, and people in green swarmed over her. Two big guys swung the doors open and grabbed him, forcing him to let go of Leslie's hand while he was shoved out.

"You." One of the green guys pointed at Jess. "Stand over there."

Jess did as he was told, and he watched as they whisked her though the sliding glass doors. It happened so fast.

He was left standing there by himself, forgotten. Without further instructions, he had

nowhere to go, and had no idea if he should follow Leslie's crowd or stay put. So he timidly walked up until the doors slid open again, and was met by a fairly large women with a serious looking face.

"You'll have to go in the waiting room." She told him stiffly. "Where's that?" asked Jess weakly.

"This way."

_Well, this isn't exactly a dungeon. But it smells funny._

_Sorta like the way the greenhouse smells when Dad cleans the windows._

_Except more so. Like vinegar._

There was a TV in the corner playing some weird reality show, and there was an old man snoring in front of it. The show reminded him too much of his fighting sisters, and he wasn't sure if he should to change it. The old guy might wake up. There was a pile of toddler toys in the corner, nothing of interest to him. There were old people magazines on the table, but they were all boring.

Jess caught himself day dreaming about the past events.

!-!

"_Leslie?"_

_He couldn't hear P.T. either. He was starting to get frustrated. On and on he went through the woods, following the sound of the stream. "Les—"_

_Then he saw her._

_Standing on the log, ready to swing over to Terabithia, was Leslie. Her blonde hair whipped in the wind, and even though he couldn't see her face, Jess thought she had never looked so beautiful. __**Beauty isn't just skin-deep.**__ He reminded himself. __**It comes from inside you.**_

"_Leslie?"_

_She turned around, seeing him, and their eyes met. He loved her blue eyes. She smiled at him._

"_Jess." She whispered. His heart gave a great leap; a leap more powerful than any Miss Edmunds could have given him._

_Jess had never smiled so big in his life. He began running towards her. He was almost there, when suddenly, everything changed._

_When he was only a few feet away from her, Leslie, distracted by him, lost her footing on the log. Grabbing on the rope for balance, she cried out, desperately holding on, but with all the sudden pressure, the old rope snapped. _

_Life seemed to go in slow motion. Leslie frantically looked at him, like she was about to cry. Jess's expression was even more terrified then her own. Leslie looked more scared than Jess had ever seen in his life. So scared, that he only saw her mouth one word:_

_**Jess**_

_She screamed, so loud, it seemed to pierce into his heart. Jess could feel his heart in his throat, and a pain spread through him, more than he could bear. He was loosing the only thing valuable to him…_

!-!

Jess shook his head. _That was horrible._ He began to wonder what had happened to Miss Edmunds. _Did she go to the museum without me? I wonder what it's like._

He looked around at the bustling nurses, the soft elevator music playing on the intercom, every now and then, interrupted with a paging. He slouched down in his chair, wishing more than ever to see Leslie. He missed her so much. He looked at the clock. It had been past an hour and a half. He sighed, and got up to get a drink of water.

There was no bubbler to be found, only a vending machine with coffee and what looked like cold sandwiches. No matter what, Jess wanted something to fill his empty stomach. He leaned his head against the cold glass, reminding him of Leslie's cold hands. He was studying what looked like a ham sandwich on white. Suddenly, someone reached over him and dropped coins in the machine, picking out the one that Jess was studying. Startled, Jess looked over, to see Mr. Burke's friendly face looking back at him. "Hungry?"

Jess nodded, as Bill handed him the sandwich. "I'm thirsty, too. Is there water?" Mr. Burke chuckled as he dropped coins into the pop machine. "Is coke ok?"

"Yeah!"

As Mr. Burke handed him the coke, Jess's eyes widened at the thought of having soda. He was trying to remember the last time he had tasted it.

"The doctor just talked to us: she's going to be fine." He put his hand on Jess's shoulder. "Thanks to you. I'm very grateful you came by when you did."

"Yeah…"

"Where were you going with Miss Edmunds?"

"Some museum."

"You seemed to be in a hurry when you came." Jess turned hot at the feeling. "I uh, wanted Leslie to go with us."

"They're taking her to a room. Why don't you come with me? You can eat on the way."

Jess was delighted at the thought of seeing Leslie again. He hesitantly agreed.

_I hope she's feeling OK._ He scarfed down the sandwich, hardly chewing, and chased the soda after it.

"She's over here." Bill lead him to a room.

He peeked in. Mrs. Burke was sitting next to Leslie's bed, holding her hand, and she was sort of sitting up in the hospital bed. She had lost the tube in her mouth, but she had one in her nose, and the IV stood close by her bedside. It was dripping. The room looked servile. She had her eyes closed, and her mom leaned forward and whispered in her ear:

"Jess is here."

Her eyes opened slowly, and she looked over at him. When she did, her whole face lit up.

She weakly said, "hi." in a raspy voice.

He didn't think he should taker her hand now, but as he walked forward, he opened his mouth to say "hi" back, but what came out sounded like a frog in distress, as he let out the loudest belch he had ever had.

Mr. Burke stifled a laugh as Jess turned red as a rose. The room suddenly smelled like vinegar again. He was incredibly embarrassed.

"Uh, excuse me. I'm not very use to soda." he said, looking up to Leslie, suddenly knowing she would be fine.

Because she began to laugh weakly, and horsly, but it was the best laugh he had ever heard. He couldn't help but laugh too.

As soon as the laughter died down, Bill starting reciting with a flourish, bowing to Leslie. "'M'Lady, Prince Charming has arrived'"Jess's cheeks began to feel hot again. He shoved his hands in his pockets, toying with the lint in the bottom.

Obviously, Bill knew.

"Bill!" scolded Mrs. Burke. "What? I'm kidding!" he assured her. He went over to his little girl, kissing her on the forehead. "It's good to hear you laugh again."

Leslie coughed a little bit. "Maybe I shouldn't laugh so hard."

A nurse stormed in the room. "WHAT is going on here?!"

"Oh, nuthn'" said Bill quickly. "Nothing you can't handle, I'm sure."

"You're right about that, Mister. I need you gentlemen to step out for a minute." She pulled the draper that hung on a chain around the bed, talking in hushed tones to Leslie and Mrs. Burke. "OK, well, we'll be right over here." Bill informed her, leading Jess to a spot outside the door. As they left, Jess couldn't help noticing the nurse raise an eyebrow at him. He felt slightly uncomfortable. She stopped and looked over at the boys.

"I'll tell you when I'm finished."

They walked outside the doorway, followed by an awkward silence. Jess was still red in the face from the previous embarrassment. Mr. Burke walked over to him, putting both hands on his shoulders. "I'm very grateful to you. I don't know what might have happened if you wouldn't have been there."

"Mr. Burke?" answered Jess, "I wish my Dad were more like you."

"Don't say that. You're dad loves you, deep down. Sometimes, we men have trouble expressing it to our boys. Give him another chance. I'm sure he'll learn to appreciate you more."

Jess walked away with his hands still in his pockets and shrugged. "I dunno."

"You know, you're kind of a hero." Mr. Burke said.

"No, I'm just a kid."

"No, you're my daughter's best friend. And again, I'm grateful to you."

Jess still just stood there with his hands still in his pockets as Mr. Burke hugged him. "I'm sure you're dad will learned to appreciate you."

The nurse came out. "You can go in now."

Jess and Mr. Burke came back in the room, with Jess rushing up to Leslie. She looked more wide awake, and was sitting up more in the bed. The IV was gone, but still had the oxygen hose in her nose.

"They're going to keep her overnight." Mrs. Burke said to him.

"How are you feeling?" Jess asked her.

"That nurse sprayed some stuff in my throat. It feels much better." It was now that Jess noticed the doctor, who must have slipped past him during the hug.

"Mr. and Mrs. Burke," the doctor started, "The X-rays look fine, but we are concerned with the swelling in her head. She had a slight concussion, and we're a little concerned with her lungs. If all goes well, she'll be able to leave by tomorrow afternoon."

"Thank you, doctor."

The doc looked right at Jess. "So, you pulled her out of the creek, huh, performing CPR?"

The doctor had a very kind face, but all Jess could do was look down.

"You did a great job." Now Jess was looking at the floor. The doctor turned, and looked at Leslie. "You're a very lucky girl."

"I know." She whispered.

Bill looked at his watch. "Look at the time! Jess, it's time to say goodbye. "

Jess looked over at Leslie. "Goodnight Leslie. Sweet dreams." Leslie smiled. "Goodnight, Jess."

As Bill led Jess out of the room, he called back to her, "I'll come to visit tomorrow!"

"I'll wish tomorrow was already here then." she said quietly to herself, drifting off to sleep.

When Leslie's parents pulled up at Jess's house, he was already asleep. Mr. Aarons met them outside.

"Thank you for driving him home." He whispered to them, picking up Jess to carry him inside.

"Don't mention it. But can you thank him for us when he's awake?"

"What do you mean?"

"Your son saved Leslie's life."

This was the first time Mr. Aarons heard this. When he didn't respond, Bill continued.

"Apparently, Leslie fell into a creek, and Jess rescued her out of there. He gave her CPR until help came, and then carried her over to the ambulance. He actually got her breathing again, with no help from the paramedics. By the time they got to the ambulance, Leslie was awake and talking! Can you imagine? At least, that's what Miss Edmunds and the paramedics said. Your boy is very strong, Mr. Aarons. He's helped Leslie in that way. He's very special to her."

"Thank you." He whispered. Then, he said his goodbyes, and headed on inside. He looked down at Jess sleeping, thinking about what they had said.

_Jess saved that little girl's life. And I've never given him credit for anything. _

Mr. Aarons realized how much he had been ignoring his only son, and how wrong he was about him. _His head being in the clouds may be a good thing. And I know how much Leslie means to him._

With that, Mr. Aarons made it to Jess's room, and tucked him into bed for the first time in a long time.

**Next chappie coming soon! Plz review!**

**Oracle**


	4. Another Step

**Hey readers! Sorry this took so long to publish! My computer problems are solved, and I should be getting a new jump drive soon :) This isn't one of my best chapters, but the next should be better. Thanks again for reading!!**

**Oracle**

Chapter 4: Another Step

When Jess opened his eyes the next morning, he sprang right out of bed, yelping as he tripped over something. _What the…?_ He looked down, and couldn't believe what he saw. A pair of black Nike sneakers laid on the floor, tied together by the laces, and were so new, they shined. Jess ran his fingers around the laces, in awe of how great they were for running. That was when he saw the yellow sticky note attached to the sneaker heel:

_I'm sorry._

_-Dad_

_p.s. A hero deserves new sneakers_

He smiled as he slipped them on. They were a perfect fit.

He loved the feeling of the unworn-down heels on his own heels. There iwas nothing like the feeling of new sneakers. It was a very rare feeling for Jess.

He quickly got dressed and headed downstairs, grabbing a granola bar on the way out the door. "I'll be back later!" he called to his parents, sitting at the table eating their breakfast. "Oh!" he came back in the house. "Thanks for the sneakers, Dad." His Dad looked back at him, smiling. "You're welcome." Jess returned the smile and continued out the door.

"Where's he off to in such a hurry?" asked May Belle innocently.

"To see his girlfriend in the hospital." answered Brenda mockingly.

"Brenda, stop." Brenda looked surprised at her father, wondering why he was suddenly sticking up for Jess.

"Honey, shouldn't he go to church with us? He can visit Leslie afterwards." Mrs. Aarons said to her husband, concerned.

Mr. Aarons shook his head. "Today, Jess needs to be a Christian to his friend. You know how much she means to him. Is it better for him to be a Christian in church, or to Leslie?" Mrs. Aarons sighed and kept on eating as well.

Jess hurried over next door, running right up to the porch. Bill greeted him at the door. "Hey Jess! Ready to go?" Jess nodded. "I was wondering if we could bring along some board games to play. Do you guys have any?"

"Sure. Come on inside." As Jess followed Bill inside, Jess looked around in amazement at their house. Unlike his, there was light, and color everywhere.

"Here's the game cabinet." Jess sorted through all the games, more than he could imagine. There were so many!

"Leslie really likes to play Monopoly and Mad Gab." Bill told him. Jess grabbed both of those games and then they headed out the door.

It was a quiet trip, similar to the one with Miss Edmunds. Jess only studied the game boxes, while Bill attempted at conversation.

"So…have you played those games before, Jess?"

"Not really. We don't have any board games."

"Oh."

More silence.

Jess eyed the road for a few minutes, wishing that the hospital would be in view soon. It didn't, but all he could think about was seeing Leslie smile when he would walk in the room.

Bill seemed to know what he was thinking. "I've only been to a hospital twice on Leslie's behalf." he said suddenly. Jess turned to him to listen.

"The very first time was when she was born. I'll never forget the moment when Judy told me I was going to be a father. I mean, I was a young writer, all full of myself, knowing nothing about children. I guess you could say that in the following nine months, I learned a bit about responsibility."

The car stopped slowed to turn right. Bill continued.

"The very first moment I held her was one I'll never forget. She was so full of life. And from then on, I knew my life would never be the same. She's brought such joy to me. And to you too, Jess?"

Jess hated to admit what had been inside him ever since the car ride with Miss Edmunds. But still, Bill _had_ to know already. He wasn't stupid, after all.

"Yes. She's so…different, no, unique, in a way that I've never seen before. I don't know where I'd be right now if it wasn't for her." Jess answered.

"And I don't know where she would have been if it weren't for _you_, Jess. You saved her. And I can't thank you enough."

The hospital came into view as Bill parked the car. "Well," he and Jess got out, "Shall we say good morning to the M'lady?" Jess chuckled, and they both headed on inside.

Jess walked down the hallway to Leslie's room with Bill close behind. Somehow, he remembered exactly where to find it. The door was open.

As they walked in, Jess felt a slight breeze. The window was open, letting in air and sunshine to the once gloomy room. He heard laughing, and his eyes once again met with Leslie's.

She was still in her bed, but she had lost the oxygen maskhose, and was now breathing on her own. The paleness in her skin was also gone, and had returned to its normal, healthy color. Her mother was sitting by her bedside, laughing along with her. As soon as she saw Jess, she smiled.

Jess couldn't help doing the same when he saw her. "Hi!" she sounded almost normal, but she was still a little hoarse. Jess could barely tell.

"Hey." He greeted her back, pulling up a chair to the other side of her bed. "You look and sound better."

"I _feel_ so much better!" Leslie was almost in a giggle fit. "I don't know why they still have to keep me here!"

"I think she had sugar for breakfast today, Jess." said Judy, smiling at him.

Jess chuckled. "That would be the Leslie I know."

Leslie was aware of what he was holding. "What games did you bring?"

"Mad Gab and Monopoly. I hear you're quit the expert at them."

"That would be me." said Leslie proudly. "Let's get started, shall we?"

For the next half hour, the Burkes, Leslie and Jess, all played the games together, laughing at the silly words in Mad Gab and Jess' misfortunes in Monopoly. Jess had never enjoyed himself so much.

Soon inDuring all the fun, the doctor came in. "Enjoying yourselves?" he asked. Jess noticed it was the doctor with the kind face who had talked to him the day before. "Very much, sir." Jess actually had the courage to talk to him now. "Glad to hear it." The doctor turned to Leslie now. "Time for your walk, Miss Burke."

"Finally!" she hopped out of bed, wheeling her IV with her, and straightening herself up, and taking a deep breath. She fluffed her tangled hair, trying to make it look better. For some reason, she felt embarrassed at how she looked. The flannel nightieshospital gown the patients were forced to wear were a big 'downer drawback' toin staying at the hospital. Not to mention the dripping IV stuck with her. After her mom helped her with her with her robe, sShe turned to Jess, trying not to seem like her flushed cheeks were a big deal. "Want to walk with me? It's only a lap or two around the hospital. You know, to stretch my legs a bit from sulking in bed all day."

Jess leapt at the chance. "Sure."

"We'll stay here." Judy said, taking a magazine off the side table. "You two have fun, and take it easy, please."

Jess tried not to rush out of the room as they both waved goodbye to the doctor and the Burkes. They headed down the busy hallways.

"So," said Leslie quietly, "have you been to Terabithia lately?"

"Not since the rope snapped." Jess answered, trying to keep up with her.

"Oh, yeah." Leslie felt stupid asking that. _Of course he hasn't. The whole reason I'm here is because the rope snapped!_ "Speaking of which, how are we going to get over there now?" Jess's question snapped her head back into reality. "I guess we're going to have to create another way across…what about just going down to the water pool and crossing that way?"

"Nah. It takes 10 minutes to get there by walking, and plus, we'll be all wet."

"Oh." They kept on walking, every once in a while cutting a turn or two. The IV wheels where squeaky.

The next few seconds they ran out of things to talk about, but Jess was soon to think of something. "How was your night here?"

"Boring." She rolled her eyes. "Uncomfortable, wishing my mom would give me a little space…I swear, she stayed by my bedside the entire night. But the lights and the constant bustling in the halls would have kept me awake anyway."

"I'm sorry about that. I can understand what that feels like. When my sisters are always fighting, they would keep me awake at night too."

"…but _you_ weren't wearing a nightie hospital gown, breezy in all the wrong places and feeling like a clown." Leslie teased. They both slightly laughed. "I don't think you look like a clown, Les." Jess said. She blushed, and looked away, smiling to herself. She knew how much Jess cared, but she still thought his feelings weree was a mystery with his feelings. She never seemed to know exactly _what _he was feeling…

Jess always thought she looked cute with that smile. He tried not to blush _himself_ at that thought.

Leslie took a breath. "Hey, why don't we make this our temporary Terabithia?"

"Huh?"

"You know, just imagine we're in Terabithia, except we're still in the hospital. I think we both have good enough imaginations, right?"

"Uh, I guess."

Leslie stepped in front of him, looking at the location around her, and keeping a firm hand on her IV. She stopped in the middle of the hallway, closing her eyes. "OK Jess, close your eyes."

"Leslie—"

"Just do it!"

Jess huffed, trying to ignore the people starring at them. "OK, they're closed."

"Now, when you open them, this hospital will look just like our Terabithia, ok? Let your imagination run wild."

Jess thought real hard about what Terabithia looked like. He doubted it would magically appear in front of him. But he decided to play along.

"Open them!"

Jess did, and all he saw was the same old hospital, and heard the IV dripping and squeaking. "It didn't work Leslie."

Leslie rolled her eyes. "Boys."

She came over to Jess. "You're looking with your eyes. You need to look, and _see_ with your heart. Don't rely on your vision. Try again."

Jess huffed again, but closed them. As he had his eyes closed, he felt Leslie put her hand on his arm. Somehow, he felt the magic by her touch.

"Pretend that no one else is around. Except me. Imagine that Jess. That there's no noise."

Somehow, all the noise went away, and it was dead quiet. He could even hear her breathing. That helped too.

"Now, slowly open them."

Jess did, and before him was Leslie, and around them was the green trees and creek of Terabithia. Jess couldn't believe his eyes. "Whoa. How'd you do that?" he asked her.

"I didn't do anything. You're doing it."

Jess shook his head in amazement. He looked at Leslie again, seeing her in her hospital clothes and her IV. "But we're still in the hospital."

"Who says? I'll imagine again…" She closed her eyes, and instantly, her clothes were changed to her regular attirear, her striped arm warmers, and her IV gone. She smiled triumphantly.

Jess was still in disbelief. "But—this is impossible!"

"Anything is possible with our imaginations."

"But—but—" Somehow, Jess just couldn't believe it.

"I…I still think we're in the hospital." He shook his head. "I know we are." He shook is head. "I can't replace Terabithia. It's just not possible."

Instantly, his surroundings vanished, and he once again heard the PA scanning, saw the busy nurses, and Leslie with her IV. She looked disappointed.

"Jess…"

He couldn't make eye contact with her. He was too prideful.

"I really expected more, especially from _you_." She shook her head and walked away. Jess was startled by this bold move.

"Leslie? Leslie!" but she ignored him.

Frustrated with himself, Jess tried to follow her but she had disappeared in the crowd. _Well, she is the fastest kid in school…__good going__ Aarons, how are you going to tell her __**now**_

Jess was lost. He tried desperately to find her, but was unlucky in the search. Not only that's, but his stomach was getting that feeling again, like the lurch he got when he saw her fall into the creek. _You had you're chance, and you blew it._

Finally, he saw her, down the hallway to her room.

"Leslie!" He caught up to her, grabbing her by the arm to stop her. "Look, I'm sorry. I just kinda…I mean, my mind's been fed updistracted lately."

"Yeah?" she rolled her eyes. "With what?"

"Do you not even _realize_ that you could have died out there? If I hadn't have been there, who knows where you'd be right now? That's why I've sorta lost the "magical" feeling of Terabithia."

She looked down, but knew in her heart that he was right. "Well, I guess you do have a point. I'm sorry for walking off on you like that. I was just…frustrated, you know? It's like you never even knew Terabithia anymore."

"I know. But I'll make it up to you, ok?"

"How?"

"You'll see. Now c'mon, they're probably waiting for us."

Jess wasn't entirely sure how he would make it up to her, but he would have to think of something. Feeling bold, he put his arm around her shoulder, as they went in the room.

Leslie smiled. _Hard to get wins every time._

As soon as they got to the room, Leslie noticed that her bed was made. The doctor was in there, with her parents.

"Leslie, we need to take some overall tests to see if you're ok. If all is well, you'll be able to go home."

"Yes!" She hugged Jess, taking him by surprise. The feeling in his stomach lurched again, in a good way.

"Come on, honey." A nurse led Leslie and her parents to the examination room. She looked back, smiling, at Jess, who waved.

Soon, Leslie was given the OK to go home. She had switched into her normal clothes, thankful to not have to wheel around an IV anymore, and was looking forward to being able to sleep in her own bed. Even though she felt fine, Leslie was instructed to sit in a wheelchair as her way out, as all patients do.

"Ok," said Mrs. Burke, gathering up Leslie's belongings, "Jess, do you want to push Leslie's wheelchair?"

"Sure."

They started out of the hospital, with Jess and Leslie ahead of the Burkes by a little. Jess tried not to let the wheelchair handles slip in his sweaty palms. _What's making me so nervous all of a sudden?_

"So, what are we going to do when we get home?" asked Leslie excited.

"_You_, young lady, are going to get some extra rest the next few days." answered Mrs. Burke.

"But Mom, I'm perfectly fine!"

"No buts. You just spent a night in the hospital with a possible serious head injury. It's off to bed for you the next couple of days."

Leslie huffed, but didn't say anything back. Instead, she asked Jess, "Since tomorrow's Monday, can you get me my homework?"

"No problem."

They made it to the parking lot, which was slightly downhill. Jess had an idea.

"Want me to run us down the hill? It'll feel like a rollercoaster!" he said anxiously to her.

"That sounds like fun!" answered Leslie.

"Hold on tight." He whispered to her.

"Hold on—?"

But Leslie didn't get to finish her sentence. Jess pushed the wheelchair at full speed downhill, making their hair fling with the wind. Leslie had never felt so energetic! She threw her hands up, laughing with Jess as he went faster.

At the end of the parking lot, Jess pulled the wheelchair to a sudden halt. They were both panting and out of breath. "Wow that really _was_ a rollercoaster ride!"

"See? I told ya!"

They both laughed again, but soon all they could hear was Jess's panting.

"Thanks Jess." blurted Leslie suddenly. "For what?"

"For everything."

Jess didn't have time to figure out what she meant, for at that moment, Bill called to them, "Hey you two! The car's this way!"

Jess began wheeling Leslie over to the car, the start of the journey home.

**Ok, Not one of my best chapters. Better chapter coming soon!**

**Please ****please****please**** review! ****Thankies****Luv**** u all ;)**

**Oracle**


	5. A Way Across

**See "Author Reflections" at the bottom of the page for an explanation and updates. **

**Thanks so much for reading!**

**Oracle ;)**

Chapter 5: A way Across

After a long day of school, Jess was finally on the way home. 'Could this bus ride be any longer?' he thought at his regular window seat. He watched as the smooth road turned to dirt and the familiar landmarks of his neighborhood came into site. He was anxious to start into his plan. With a lot of thinking, he had finally come up with a way to pay her back, remembering the way he had acted at the hospital. Jess flipped open to a marked page in his notebook, a very special page at that. It was a detailed sketch of a bridge…

!-!

_It was a noisy and lonely recess as Jess sat by the bench, his normal spot. He was drawing furiously hurriedly at a sketch – one that he was was very pleased with. It was only in pencil, not like his other previous drawings, but it didn't need color. It already had enough meaning. _

_"Beep! Beep! Beep!" _

_Jess groaned. Hoeger. Sure enough, there he was, right in front of Jess, a smirk on his face and and evil in his eyes. Jess rolled his eyes and tried to ignore the bully who found tormenting him a competitive sport. _

_"Whatchya doing, Aarons?" Scott snatched the notebook away from Jess. "What's this?" he said, pointing to the sketch with disgust. He then began flipping through the notebook feverishly, not paying enough care with the pages, which were now bent. "Another one of your cute drawings?" _

_Jess was now on his feet, his pencil still in one hand. "Give it back, Hoeger." Jess tried to grab the notebook away, but Scott was too quick for him. _

_"Why? Is it a present for your girlfriend?" he sneered. Again, Jess tried to grab the notebook away, ignoring his remark. Every second, he wanted to fight back, to spat his own smart remarks, but didn't have the courage. _

_Jess remembered Leslie's words. They echoed in his head, like the singing in the church that Sunday. They seemed to go on forever. _

_**"We rule Terabithia, and NOTHING crushes us!"**_

_**"Keep your mind wide open."**_

_**"Any guy who can battle a squogre is afraid of a Hoeger?"**_

_Jess suddenly felt a boost, something inside him that made the hair on the back of his neck stand straight. _

_He felt anger towards Scott, for all the times that he had tormented himJess and Leslie. F, for everytime he tripped him on the playground, . aAnd all those times, he sucked it all in and forgot about it. _

_Not this time._

_"Hoeger, give it back!" Jess forcibly grabbed Scott's arm, taking him by a sudden surprise. "Are you nuts?" He tried to yank his way free of Jess's death grip, but couldn't. Jess once again yanked, with such force, that Scott jolted forward, allowing Jess to stick out his leg and trip him. _

_With an "oof!" he handed in the grass, the notebook flying out of his reach. _

_Jess stepped over to Scott, who was still trying to get up, and took his notebook in his right hand. Then, he bent down so he could talk eye to eye with Scott. _

_"Someday, I wish you had a friend, a real friend, instead of a pack of bullies. One who you could trust, and care for enough that you would risk your own life to save theirs. Someone who makes you feel like you're just you, and that's ok. That's a true friend. To me, that's Leslie Burke." _

_Scott scuffed. "Are you going to beat me up, or what? Cuz I kinda wanna get it over with." _

_"I'm not going to beat you up, Scott." said Jess, starting to walk away. "It's not what I do. It's not the way friends humans are supposed to act." _

_He fully turned his back now, walking away as the bell rang, leaving a gaping mouth behind him. _

!-!

Jess smiled as he flipped the page to reveal his almost finished drawing of Leslie. When it was finally finished, he was almost considering giving it to her as a gift of sorts, but he was too shy. Plus it would just be…embarrassing. Maybe he would give it to her when he finally told her the truth. But he guessed that day was far out.

Jess remembered the day he first started drawing it. That was the day that Miss Edmunds called, asking him to go to the museum with her. It was the day he saved Leslie's life.

It suddenly occurred to him. For the first time, it finally sunk in about what might have happened if he hadn't been there…

The smile was wiped clean off his mouth, and he slammed the notebook and stuffed it in his backpack, not wanting to think about it. And not wanting to think about what she would say if he said what he had wanted to tell her that day as well.

ThHe bus chugged to a halt in front of the road to the Aarons and Burkes house. That was Jess's signal to finally get off, with May Belle yacking behind him.

"Tell Mom and Dad that I'm at the Burkes, ok?"

"Sure. Tell Leslie I said hi!"

With that, they parted ways and Jess walked up the Burke's walkway to their front door. It was then that he noticed Mr. Burke outside, gardening. "Hey Jess! Leslie's inside."

Jess nodded. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Planting flowers. Judy was supposed to be helping me, but she went inside to check up on Leslie."

"Oh. Well, you're doing a good job."

Bill smiled. "I'm not really into all this happy-flower stuff. Judy just wanted me to help her."

Jess nodded again, and after a short silence, he asked, "So, is it ok for me to go in?"

"Of course!" laughed Bill. "Leslie's been waiting for you all day!"

Jess looked up to Leslie's window to her bedroom, almost thinking he saw something...

Sure enough, it was Leslie, peeking out under the window and watching Jess. He assumed she'd heard the whole conversation.

He waved.

Startled, and very embarrassed, Leslie sheepishly waved back, and then quickly ducked.

He saw me. Leslie began to turn bright red at that, and the fact that her Dad had told Jess that she had been waiting for him all day. It was true, it had been so boring without him, and she had been longing to see the school bus pull up to their houses.

But he didn't have to tell Jess that!

She groaned, then got up on her bed, flinging flung off the magazine that she had read nearly 5 times already. Right then, her Mom came in.

"How are you feeling, honey?"

"Embarrassed! Why does Dad always have to say things like that?"

Judy came over and sat on the edge of her bed. "You mean say those things to Jess?"

Leslie was quiet for a minute. "No…I mean, saying those things to other people."

Her mom laughed. "What about the time that he told your cousins that when you were 4, you knew the entire dance to the Barney Theme Song by heart?"

Leslie rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but those are my cousins."

"…Or the time that he told teacher that you still hug your old teddy bear for good luck on a test?"

"..But that was 3rd grade!"

"Or the time that…"

"OK, ok, I get your point."

Judy smiled. "So…"

"…so I guess I feel nervous around Jess sometimes."

"Can you blame yourself? He lives next door, and you guys are best friends."

"Yeah," said Leslie, "the boy next door."

She sighed. "It's just that…every time I'm around him, I get a feeling like I'm…searching for something."

"Huh?"

"Like, I'm looking for something, and it's always around me, but I don't know what it is. But it comes back every time Jess is around me. I guess that's why I'm so uptight whenever Dad says something embarrassing, or I say something embarrassing. Do you get what I mean?"

Judy nodded. "I got have a good feeling aboutidea of what you're "searching" for."

"What?" Leslie said, eager. "Tell me!"

"Sorry, kido. This one you're going to have to find yourself."

Leslie huffed, and sat back on her bed. "It's just so hard to figure out."

There was a little silence. T, then Judy finally spoke up:. "You know, I met your father when I was your age."

"Really?"

"Yes. We met at school. He was quiet, and always carried a notebook, sort of like Jess."

"Did he draw really well?"

"No. He was terrible at art! But he did have a talent. He wrote the most amazing stories and poetry. I've never heard such words in such a book."

Judy got up now. "He inspired me to become a writer, just like him. After we'd know known each other for a long time, we started dating, and here we are now: happily married with a beautiful daughter."

Leslie smiled again. "Thanks for all your help, Mom."

"No problem." She turned to go out. "Oh, and one other thing:. What you're looking for may be right under your nose. Just remember that."

She left, and soon after, Leslie heard her talking in the hallway.

"Hi Jess! Leslie's in her room."

"Thanks."

The door opened a crack, and Jess came into the room, lighting up her dark and gloomy day.

"Hey, how are you doing?" He set down his backpack and walked over to her.

"Good. Almost surprisingly good. So, what did I miss?"

"Monster mouth had a 's big lecture., We got almost no homework;, and Hoeger gotetting beaten up."

"Really? Wow! Who did it?"

"…Me…"

"You?! And I missed it all., Ddarn. Can you tell me what happened?"

Jess told her, purposely leaving out the part where he mentioned her. After he was done, she seemed impressed.

"So he got what he deserved?"

"Yep. He won't bug us so much anymore."

She nodded. "I hope so."

He was quiet, so she asked, "Are we going to Terabithia later?"

"Huh? Uh…no…"

"Why not? I'm sure we can find a better way across."

"Well, I um, gotta…" he was trying hard to think of an excuse, "…go home and start on homework."

One eyebrow raised. "Oh? I thought you said there was almost no homework."

"I did?" Jess was feeling a little red. "Well, um, there is almost no homework but it's, it's r

Really hard, so I gotta go home. See ya."

"bye…" Leslie was more than suspicious as he left. She had expected he would stay more than 5 minutes. She looked out the window. Jess was leaning in close to Bill, whispering something in his ear. _What's he up to…?_

"…And whatever you do, please don't tell her. It's a surprise."

"Gotcha."

"So, where are those boards?"

"I'll show you."

Bill showed him the extra boards over by the shed, which Jess was using to make the bridge. He didn't tell Bill that.

"Thanks, Mr.—Uh, Bill."

"No problem Jess. Need anything more, let me know."

"OK. I best get to work then. Can I leave my backpack here?"

"Sure."

"OK, Bye!"

Jess wiped his sweating brow as he looked back at his handy work. Then, he glanced at his watch. _5:00. I've been at this for almost 3 hours. And I'm finally done… _Jess felt as though he could collapse with all the work he had been doing:. hHauling all the tools and wood here was nearly an hour alone, which had left him exhausted. But he told Leslie he would make it up to her, so he pressed on. When he was working at putting down the boards, he glanced up briefly, seeing the snapped rope. For a split second, he thought about yanking it down. It brought back too many memories. But maybe it would be symbolic to their kingdom. So he kept it there.

Jess took a deep breath, and smiled at how Leslie would react to what he had made.

He ran back to her house excitedly, just wanting to be near her. He still had to tell her, of course. He was trying to find the right time, but all the time, he was always getting interrupted. He shook his head and kept running.

Her house came into view within a few minutes, his heart giving a leap. Leslie was sitting on her porch, obviously bored, and obviously looking for him.

_Where is he? _ Leslie pondered in her head. _I already checked at his house…maybe I should go to Terabithia…_ She got up, frustrated. _Why am I being so uptight? He's just a guy. Let him do what he's doing now…he didn't ask me to come with him. _She turned to go inside.

Jess began running faster. He didn't have the strength to call out her name. _I've got to catch here!_

"Leslie! Wait!"

Leslie turned around. _Was that…?_ The dirt on the road poooofed up all around his shoes in a sudden commotion as Jess came up to her porch where she was standing.

"LeslieJess?" He ran up to her now, so out of breath, he could barely speak.

"…I…I want…to show you something!"

"What _happened_?" she looked him up and down, from his sweaty brow to his newly-dusty black sneakers.

"You look like you've just ruan a marathon."

"In…someways, I did." He tried to laughed, but his lungs felt like they had inhaled dust, and it was more of a cough.

"Where are we going?"

"Where…do you think?"

Leslie smiled and rolled her eyes. "Maybe we should take a break first. Want some lemonade?"

Jess hastily nodded his head, and they both went inside. Jess cooled down with the juice, and was soon ready to go again.

"It's so cool, you've got to see it, Leslie!"

"Alright already. What are we waiting for?"

A few minutes later, they made it to the beginning of the woods. Leslie started to go in, but Jess stopped her.

"First, you need to close your eyes."

She raised one eyebrow in suspicion.

"It's a surprise, like I told you." He said quickly.

She did as she was instructed. "How am I supposed to see where I'm going?"

Jess suddenly got hot again, but steeled his couragetried to stiffen up.. With an almost trembling hand, he took hers in his own. "Um, this way." Leslie smiled to herself again. When she felt as though she had been walking forever, she asked, "Hey Jess, I was wondering, how are we going to get across without the rope—"

He let go of her hand. The feeling made something spring inside her. "Jess? Where'd you go?" "Are you ready to open them?" "Um, I guess." "Ok…open them _now_."

Leslie did so. "Oh, _Jess_." She was literally in awe of what she was seeing. "Did you make this? It's...it''s amazing!"

"Yeah. I told you I would make it up to you."

And so he had. Before them was the flowing creek, still high from all the rain. The broken rope was still hanging in it's normal place. But from the span of one bankcreek to another was a bridge.

It was well made, with smooth and sturdy wood, laid across the bridge in a diagonal patternwith stride. There was just enough space between the boards to let rain run off, but not enough to catch your foot on. There were carefully nailed branches on each side of the railing, for decoration. At the start of the bridge was an open doorway, also covered with vines. Above, on the top of the doorway was a sign stating boldly in a yellow font,

NOTHING CRUSHES US

The sign was made of wood, shaped like a shield, with a blue background. It showed a sword clashing with a pencil in the shape of an X, with a dove underneath.

"Oh, wow." There was nothing else she could say. "You really made it up to me, Jess."

"Do you want to go across?"

"Is it safe?"

"Of course. But it's not the kind of bridge you want to run across. Come on."

He put his hand over her shoulder, guiding her across. She looked over her shoulder to the bridge again, seeing it turn to shimmering gold with her imagination.

"…And I almost forgot…" he grabbed something from the ledge of the bridge. When he turned around, Leslie could see that it was a crown, made of twigs carefully woven together.

"The Queen of Terabithia isn't one without it."

Leslie giggled as he crowned her, placing it softly on her head. Again with her imagination, the twigs became a beautifully jeweled crown. Leslie looked over to the ledge again, seeing one for him. She signaled him to kneel, "Hand me your sword." Jess looked around for something – anything – but came up empty. She reached to his left ear on which a forgotten carpenter's pencil was still perched. andas she crowned him.

"I now dub you Sir Jess The Valient, King of Terabithia., as she touched the pencil to both shoulders. "Please rise."

He did, now feeling more confident and important. "Let us go to our castle." She nodded, and they both started over to their tree fort. Leslie couldn't have been happier.

**Author Reflections**

**Well, it's finally happened. I started reading the book. And I have to say, it is VERY different from the movie. I really hated the way they described Leslie. I know, being a "tomboy" isn't what I'm talking about, it's just the way Jess thought about her when he first saw her. It said that he couldn't tell whether she was a boy, or a girl. Also, she's a brunette, Jess is a blonde. Kinda funny, huh? – it's the opposite of In the movie, and it messes up my vision of themthat's opposite. Looking at the pictures in the book, I couldn't really tell which was which, Jess or Leslie…**

**Well, anyway, that's not the only detailed that was changed. Scott Hoeger's name is different. Isn't he "Gary Fultcher" in the book, Scott Hoeger in the movie? I know they mention Scott, he's the orange-haired kid, right? This whole part confused me…**

**In here, my story, I have Leslie call her parents "Mom" and "Dad" instead of "Judy" and "Bill", simply because I think it's respectful. I know I would never call my parents by their first name, but that is my opinion. In this story, Bill writes fiction, like Judy, instead of political science. It just sounds better to me-- as hism writing fiction.**

**I am sooooo sorry I haven't posted this sooner. School has started for me, and it's hard juggling homework, this story, my graphics site, and finding the time. I'm sure that chapter 6 will come as soon as I can post it. Thanks so much, you readers are the most important part of me writing this. Without you, this wouldn't have been possible:D**

**If you're wondering about the Terabithians, don't worry, I am adding them in one of the following chapters. I may also add May Belle, I'm still deciding on that. What do you think?**

**As for the previous chapter, I'm so sorry for all of those mistakes. I think I have an explanication for it, though. When my Editor, (my Dad :) edits, he changes some words, and leaves the previous words for me to erase. Usually, we keep this as a different document, and then edit a copy of that one. I must have submitted the wrong document. Or, aliens hacked into my document and made those silly mistakes. You choose which on to believe. (LoL)**

**As I said, chapter 6 is coming soon! Please review/comment, I really appreciate it. :) **

**With Love,**

**Oracle**


	6. Fight

Chapter 6: Fight

It had been a week since the bridge had been built, and Jess and Leslie's friendship couldn't have been stronger. They went to Terabithia every day after school, defending their castle and keeping their place as King and Queen.

There wasn't much of 8th grade left, about 1 and a half months. As the days went inching by, Jess was feeling more and more pressured with what he still had to tell her. He had been putting it off for so long; it was tormenting him every day.

School was done for the day, and Jess was heading out to the buses to meet Leslie and finally go home. As he was walking down the busy hallways, he noticed a bright pink poster all the way down the walls to the second floor:

COMING SOON!

END OF THE YEAR DANCE

ALL GRADES INVITED

JUNE 5

COST: $5

FOOD, DANCING AND FUN!

Jess rolled his eyes. He had never been a person to go to a dance. There were too many people around, and nothing to do. And yet, next year he would be heading off to High School, with homecoming and prom, and... _Why does time have to move so fast?_ He continued on his way to the bus.

He wondered if Leslie would want to go. If she would, he would end up dragged along too, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad…if she was there.

He saw her, waiting in their usual spot, and waved. She waved back. "So, what are we doing in Terabithia today?"

"Same old." He shrugged.

Leslie got the window seat in the bus, and Jess sat down next to her. The area outside began to move as the bus picked up speed. Five minutes of silence was shared between them, until Leslie decided to break it.

"OK, what's up?"

Jess's concentration on his closed notebook was interrupted when he looked up to meet her gaze. "Huh?"

"Don't tell me nothing is going on. I can see it in your eyes. Come to think of it, you've been like this ever since I fell in the river. Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

_Oh no…_ Destiny was finally catching up to him. "Nothing is going on." He lied.

Leslie was still skeptical. "Liar." Her smile was teasing.

Jess began to run out of ideas of things to say. He couldn't tell her. Not now. So, he said the next best thing:

"Did you know about the dance?"

By her expression, he could tell she hadn't. "What dance?"

"The end of the year dance in June. Do you like dances?"

"It would be my first one." She smiled to herself.

"Well, would you go…alone?" He tried to casually hint at what he was getting at, but failed.

"Why, are you planning to go too?"

"No! Uh, what I mean to say is, um, if you were going, I would consider going too…"

She smiled smugly. "Sort of like a date."

"I uh, guess you could call it that. But you know, best friends can go together….and still be just best friends."

"Oh." Her tone was hinted with just a little disappointment that Jess didn't catch.

"So, are we going?" she asked.

"Yeah, sounds like a plan."

"I want to warn you, I don't dance very well."

"It's ok; I've taken a few ballroom dancing lessons."

"You? Dance lessons?" Leslie nearly laughed.

Jess smiled. "It was a while ago."

The rest of the way was silent, but both were secretly gleaming.

Jess tried not to slam the door as he came home from Terabithia. His parents were at the table looking over bills and such. He headed up quietly to his room, surprised that the TV was turned off. Usually, his older sisters were fighting over which channel to watch. Today, no one was downstairs but his parents. _Weird_. He thought.

As he went down the hallway to his room, he just glanced into Brenda, his older sister's room, and saw her lying on her bed reading a book. He hadn't seen her do that in a while. Maybelle was playing with the Barbie that Leslie had given her. "Hey Jess." She greeted him as he set down his backpack by his bed. "Hi. Have you noticed that Brenda and Ellie aren't fighting over the TV?"

"Yeah, I wonder what's up."

Jess plopped down on his bed and opened his notebook, flipping to a blank page. As the pages turned, he came across his picture of Leslie, bringing back his nervous memory of the dance that was coming up. He wondered if he should get her something, a gift of sorts, sort of like, 'thanks for coming to the dance with me'. But what?

• • •

"Brenda?"

Jess knocked softly on her door. She barely looked up from her book.

"Get lost." She hissed.

Jess had expected this type of response from her. He didn't get lost.

"Can I ask you something?"

She huffed a little, but put down her book. "Shoot."

"What do you give your date to the dance?"

She blinked. His question had obviously caught her off guard. She moved over on her bed. "Sit." She ordered.

Jess was surprised this time. He hadn't had a decent conversation with her in so long. He sat, and looked around at the room. He hadn't been in here for a while either. "So," she said, "Are you asking what I should get for my date, or are you asking what you should get for your date?"

Jess turned red; "Uh…" is all that would come out of his mouth.

"OK Jess, listen and tell me honestly: is this about Leslie?"

He looked down. "Yeah."

She smiled smugly. "I thought so. You finally worked up the courage to ask her out?"

"No, she wanted to go to the dance, and I told her I would go with her…we're going as best friends."

Brenda laughed now. "That's the biggest ball of crap I've ever heard. Come on, Jess. I wish you would just get it over with and tell her that you love her."

He looked up to meet her eyes, wide and shocked.

"I don't—"

"Oh please. I'm not blind. Everyone can see it in your eyes every time you look at her. It's really kinda sweet."

Jess blushed, embarrassed. Finally, he sighed. "Fine. You caught me red handed."

"So what's holding you back?"

He huffed again. "I'm scared of how she'll react. I mean, what if she never wants to talk to me again? I want her to know, and at the same time, I don't want to loose our friendship."

"Dating is similar to friendship, except you can hug and hold hands and all that other stuff, and go on dates." They both chuckled.

"Don't be scared, Jess," she continued, "I'm sure Leslie can handle it. She's a strong girl. And I'll be rooting for you."

Jess smiled. "Thanks."

"Oh, and about that gift," she went to her drawer and pulled out a beautiful artificial red rose. "Give her this."

She handed it to him. He looked over it in amazement. "Wow."

"Oh, and in case you don't know, a rose is the symbol of love." Jess couldn't contain his sudden excitement. "Thanks so much Brenda." He hugged her.

"Anytime."

As he left the room, she yelled after him, "Oh yeah, and don't tell Mom or Dad about this. They'll probably freak out that we're getting along!"

Down the hallway, she heard Jess laugh.

It had been one week since Jess and Leslie had decided to go to the dance together, and they were currently on their way to Terabithia. The bridge came into sight.

"Come on Jess, let's run!" said Leslie enthusiastically.

He shrugged. "Nah, I don't want to. Listen, uh, Leslie, there's something I have to tell you—"

Without warning, Leslie took of running, leaving Jess behind in a trail of dust.

Jess blinked, thinking it was just his imagination. But she was already a full 10 yards ahead of him.

_Could my timing be any worst?_

"Leslie! Wait!"

He started after her, but she was out of his sight. He stumbled through the woods trying to find her.

The bridge came into view, and on it, Leslie was balancing with her hands spread out on the railing…with the rushing river inches to her right.

"Leslie! Don't!"

She turned, and immediately lost her balance, and fell with a scream.

Jess began running full speed to the bridge, his vision blurry, he was going so fast. He expected a splash, but didn't hear one.

He was at the bridge now, horrified to see Leslie sprawled out over the wood, barely stirring.

"Leslie!"

He ran and helped her up. "Are you ok? What were you _thinking_?"

"Ow." She said softly. She brushed down the dirt on her clothes. "I'm fine, Jess."

The flashbacks of her falling into the river rushed back into Jess's mind, as clear as when they happened. He couldn't loose her again, he wouldn't allow it.

He hugged her fiercely. "Don't scare me like that."

She pulled away, annoyed. "I told you I'm _fine_." Then she started to the castle again.

He caught up to her suddenly quick pace. She was picking at something on her hand. "I think I have a sliver." She mumbled.

"Here." He took her hand gently in his own and examined it. "It's not so deep, I could probably get it out."

Leslie only nodded wearily, wincing when he pulled at it. In a few minutes, it was out.

"There, good as new."

She smiled slightly. "Thanks."

They walked the rest of the way to the castle. "I want to climb that tree." Leslie said, heading towards the big elm by the castle. Jess looked up at it. It seemed to go on for miles.

"I'd rather you didn't."

Leslie was already half-way up. She scuffed. "Why do you care?"

"You could fall."

He thought back to the rope snapping, and seeing Leslie's frantic face. He winced.

"Please, just get down from there."

Leslie rolled her eyes, but decided to obey, and got down, heading up to the castle. "C'mon."

She headed up the side of the tree house, to the rope to get up. As she started to climb half-way up, she jumped off the board, swinging over to the side, dangling in mid air. "Weeee!"

Jess imagined her hands slipping through the rope and falling. All the painful flashes of her almost death rushed back, more powerful than ever. He couldn't take it anymore and snapped.

"Stop!"

This time, Leslie was annoyed. "What is your _problem_?"

She dropped, landing with a stumble, but got up and darted away before Jess could say anything.

"Wait!"

She didn't even try to hear him.

He darted after her, still a step behind. She ran through Terabithia, past all the trees, the river, until Jess didn't even know where they were anymore. He started to get tired, and was still far behind.

A stray log lay in the middle of Leslie's path. She picked up speed and tried to dodge it, but missed and completely stumbled. This gave Jess the opportunity to catch up to her.

As soon as she saw him coming, Leslie sat up quickly, nearly limping away.

"Why are you like this all of a sudden? It's like you don't want me to have any fun!"

Now Leslie was more than annoyed, she was ticked.

"I…I don't want you to…die."

Leslie laughed without humor. "_Die_? That's a little dark for you, huh Jess? I'm not going to die."

"What about when you almost drowned?"

"I'm still alive!" She jumped around. "See me? See? I'm still alive!" her tone was almost mocking.

Jess sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. And there's something really important I have to tell—"

"No you're not." Leslie interrupted. "You just don't want me to have any fun."

She started limping back to the tree house.

"FUN?" Jess hurried after her, angry. "You call getting a sliver and hurting your leg _fun_?"

"No, but you know me, I like to be daring."

"_Too_ daring. Leslie, you need to take advantage of—"

"I don't have to listen to you!" She spat. "I can take care of myself."

"You can?" He cut ahead of her, making her stop. "You really can?"

She crossed her arms. "Yes, I think I can."

"Fine. Then how's this: I'm gone!" He turned and bolted away. "And I'll never come back!"

His cold tone sent a chill down Leslie's spine. She knew that he meant it, and she suddenly wished she hadn't defended her pride.

"Jess! I..I'm sorry!" She called after him, but he was already gone.

"Fine!" She stormed away. "Consider this The End! I…I'm not going to the dance with you! I don't ever want to see you again!"

The only response she got was the wind whistling through the trees.

**Reviews are greatly appriciated. **

**Don't worry, it will get better! Chapter 7 is coming soon! Waay sooner than this one. ;)**

**-Oracle-**


	7. Wounded

"_What hurts the Most • Was being so Close • And having so much to say •_

_Watching you walk away • Never knowing • What could have been •_

_**And not seeing that loving you **__•__** Is what I was trying to do.**_"

-Rascal Flats, "What Hurts The Most"

Chapter 7: Wounded

JESS

Jess ran as fast as he could home without looking back. He didn't care if Leslie was following him; as soon as he got home he would run up to his room and block the door.

When he finally did get home, he went through the back door to the kitchen. His sisters were all in front of the TV, as usual. Maybelle saw him, and called out, "Hey Jess—"

But he was already on his way to his room.

As soon as he got there, he slammed the door and blocked it with his dresser. Immediately, he went into his boxes under his bed, where he kept all of his drawings, tearing through them and searching. Every drawing he ever did of Terabithia he pulled out and set aside. Once he had gone through all of the boxes, he picked up the heaping pile, and threw them out his window. The papers fluttered to the ground below, like little flower petals. He knew his parents would be super mad, but he didn't care. He didn't want anything that reminded him of Terabithia.

Next, he opened his backpack and dumped out all the contents inside. He grabbed his notebook and fumbled through the pages, ripping out all the Terabithia ones, and throwing them out the window too. Page after page, his notebook became thinner and thinner. He was on such a ripping spree, he didn't notice that half of the notebook was already gone.

Finally, he got to the last page. He started to tear it, but then realized what it was.

It was his picture of Leslie.

It reminded him of the fight, of the flower, of what he had tried to tell her that ended in disaster.

The anger that had consumed him a few minutes ago was replaced with hurt and longing. Instead of ripping to throw away, he carefully took it out, and taped it to his wall. There was still a piece of Leslie that he could hold on to.

LESLIE

Leslie walked home slowly, still shocked by what had happened to their friendship. _It's over, done, there is no King and Queen. _Each step matched the beat of her heavy heart. _How am I going to face him? What will I do if I see him in the hallway? Most importantly…what about Terabithia?_ She saw her house up ahead, and shivered by the sudden wind that had picked up. She half-ran to the front door, but stopped mid-way when a piece of paper flopped against her leg. _What in the world…?_ She picked up the cold, and now damp paper, turning it upright to reveal one of Jess's Terabithia drawings. She looked up from the page.

ALL of his drawings were blowing away in the wind, and were now scattered in her front yard.

Frantic, Leslie hurried around and scooped up all of the drawings she could find, following the trail of them back to the Aarons' house. That trail led her right up to Jess's window. _He must have thrown them all out._ She thought with dismay. She picked up all of the ones she could see. In the end, she managed to save all of them, though many were damaged. With all of his drawings, wet and wrinkled in her hands, she ran out of their yard and headed inside her house.

The first couple of weeks after the fight between Jess and Leslie were brutal. They refused to look at each other, at school, or at home. Even though they refused to make contact, all they could think about were each other.

In the morning, Jess would wake up earlier than usual and get all of his morning chores done, so that he could wait for the bus early, beating Leslie to it. He didn't have to bother. Leslie waited purposely until the last minute to get on the bus.

One morning, after Jess had already got on, he didn't see Leslie come running out like usual. The bus driver became impatient and left. _I hope she didn't miss the bus on purpose._ Jess thought, worried.

Leslie was in her usual spot when Jess made it to Mrs. Meyers' class; she was the very first student there. He realized after school that she no longer took the bus, and was dropped off by her father in the morning instead.

Pride and grief consumed their thoughts and actions. Both wanted to make up, and both missed each other terribly. But their pride was too much to swallow, and the misery continued for 4 weeks straight.

BACK TO WEEK ONE

LESLIE

Leslie slammed the door on her way in from Terabithia. She headed straight up to her room. Judy, her mother watched her with concern. She noticed that Leslie had a bundle of papers in her hands and was leaving a wet trail up the stairs. Judy only needed one glimpse to Leslie's face to see that she was troubled. But she shrugged it off. She was a teen after all.

Leslie plugged in her blow dryer to the bathroom, and tried to save the drawings. She hung the blow-dried ones over the bath tub to dry. It wasn't long after that that she heard her mother call from down the stairs, "What in the world are you doing?"

"Umm…Nothing!"

"What?"

"Nothing! I…don't want to talk about it."

"Ok…" Having seen this before, and knowing the stubborn streak inherited from the child's FATHER, she decided to leave it for another time.

The next day, Leslie's was forced to go outside to get some fresh air. She had spent most of that day and yesterday inside, and her mother thought it would be best.

She stood out, looking out of her balcony from her second story window. There was nothing to do at all. She was so bored.

Leslie was curious at what Jess was doing. She peeked into the Aaron's front yard.

Mr. Aaron's old pickup was still in the front. Jess was probably in his room.

She suddenly remembered something. Running down the stairs, she raced out of the house to Terabithia.

WEEK ONE

JESS

_I was so stupid._ Jess shook his head at his actions. All of his hard work, all of the drawings he had done he had thrown out the window, he was now regretting. What he hated most was that they were all gone, every single one. He searched for hours around his yard, but they left no trace. _It's so bizarre._ He headed downstairs to eat breakfast and watch the Saturday cartoons with his sisters.

No sooner had he sat down in his normal couch spot that the doorbell rang. Mrs. Aarons answered it.

"Oh, hello Leslie!"

_Oh no! _Jess's stomach dropped like the first drop on a rollercoaster. He wanted to head upstairs, but would have to go past the door to do so, and Leslie would see him.

"Um, yeah…" His mom leaned back and looked at him in the living room, giving him a smile. He shook his head frantically, and mouthed "_No_!"

Surprised, Mrs. Aarons turned back to Leslie. "Uh, Jess is busy right now, um, with his sisters and such—"

Jess then heard Leslie say something else, but couldn't make out the words.

"Yes, I'll be sure to give this to him. Goodbye."

The door closed, and Mrs. Aarons came to Jess with a familiar wooden box. _Now I'm in for it…_

"Leslie says that she wants you to have this." She set it down next to him, and went back to the kitchen.

Jess opened it, and sighed.

It was his paint set.

_•••_

Jess stroked the paintbrush delicately over the paper. He did so again and again, as he had every day after school for the past 4 weeks. He was so focused on painting that he didn't notice Brenda coming in.

"Hey."

The sudden voice in his hushed world startled him. He looked up, and relaxed when he saw it was only her. He went back to painting.

Brenda took the hint that he didn't want to talk to her, preferably about why he had been sulking around the house and avoiding Leslie for the past 4 weeks, but tried to get her brother to talk.

"So…did you give her that rose and um, _tell_ her?"

Jess hesitated for half a second, but got back to painting. "We…broke up…our friendship, I guess."

Brenda was shocked. "So, that's it, huh? You're just going to destroy everything you've built up inside since she moved here?"

"It's complicated."

"Not the way you put it. So, you had your first fight. The right thing to do is to go over there and say that you're sorry."

"I can't." He mumbled. Now he had stopped painting and was resting his head against the wall.

"You can't _what_? Swallow your pride and apologize? Leslie deserves better treatment."

"I…I can't bear to face her, Brenda." He sighed. "I…I hurt her. I was being too overprotective, and she got mad. Then, those hateful words just spilled over and…well, I didn't want that pain of seeing her floating in the river to come back, because…I really….like her…so what I mean to say is…"

Brenda sighed in relief. "You finally admitted it in words, well, kinda. I'm proud of you. You know, this whole fight between you and Leslie is starting to look like a soap opera."

That got a small smile out of Jess. He got back to painting.

"So, will you apologize?"

Jess paused. "I'll think about it."

Brenda smiled and left the room, as Jess finished his painting.

_•••_

_THUNK._ The crumpled paper landed next to the tin trashcan, making an echoing sound that filled the empty room.

_This is hopeless._ Leslie sat at her desk and groaned. For the past 4 weeks, she had been laying around the house with nothing to do. So, she had started to draw. Unfortunately, her artistic abilities were her imagination, and she was quickly learning by the pile of crumbled papers that were now overflowing the trashcan, that they were not in her drawing abilities.

She sighed. _Jess, where are you when I need you?_ It had been a miserable four weeks, and Leslie was curious if Jess even missed her. She sure missed him.

She glanced around the room, eyed the cardboard box of Jess's drawings, and quickly looked away. _N-No, I won't think of him._ She continued trying to draw. The knock on the door made her look up, and broke her concentration. Still, she answered, "Come in."

Her mother opened the door quietly, smiling. "Hey, hon. What are you doing?"

"Drawing."

Getting no other response for several seconds, Judy continued. "Leslie, I think you should get outside more, you know, for some fresh air."

"You always say that." Leslie mumbled.

"What happened to that Aarons boy I use to see so often around here? Why don't you go out and play, like you did every day after school?"

Leslie winced. '_That Aarons boy.' Ugh. _

"He has a _name,_ Mom. Besides, I'm…on my own. I think you're right. I'm going outside."

"Good. Don't stay out too late." Her mother smiled again, and closed the door.

"Here goes…" Leslie thought out loud, looking at the box of drawings. She grabbed it and headed out the door.

_•••_

Later that night, Leslie sat on her bed reading, but couldn't concentrateThe plot sounded a lot like her and Jess.

Jess…his name haunted her memories. What about before the fight? Life was great…up until the accident. _Why did I go to Terabithia alone?_ She pondered. _What made me do it?_ She remembered Jess's panicked face as she fell. She had _never_ seen him that scared before. _Why did he come back? How did he pop out of nowhere when I needed him? How did he know?_

All these questions were to be left unanswered. What was between them was over, done. _Over, done._ Leslie repeated the words to herself. They didn't seem real.

She tried to think of life before that. Seeing Jess every day on the bus…defending their kingdom together, which now lay lifeless in a field…his eyes, his smile…the way he said her name, with such care and…and something else…and then hearing his hurtful words in Terabithia…and hearing her own…

"_No, but you know me, I like to be daring."_

"_Too daring. Leslie, you need to take advantage of—"_

"_I don't have to listen to you! I can take care of myself."_

"_You can? You really can?"_

"_Yes, I think I can."_

"_Fine. Then how's this: I'm gone! And I'll never come back!"_

Watching him run away…

Something wet fell on the page, magnifying the words she was trying to read. Leslie was shocked to realize that a tear had fallen from her eye.

She gasped when the loud knock on her door once again disturbed her. She quickly wiped her eyes. "C-Come in!"

It was her mother again. "Hey Leslie. Listen, I was thinking tomorrow we could get out and go shopping, you know, a little girl to girl time…we both need to get out of the house more. Plus, we haven't done it in forever. What do you think?"

Leslie tried to smile. "Sure Mom, sound great."

"Ok, great. And you have to come down now. It's time for dinner."

_•••_

Jess came home from school the next day.

Since he was bored and didn't have any homework, Jess sat down at his mailbox and started to draw in his notebook. Pretty soon, he would need a new one.

It was starting to fill up quick, and all with the same thing.

He didn't know how long he had been sitting there, or how many pages he had left, but he didn't care. Pretty soon, he heard P.T., Leslie's dog, barking, and he looked up from his sketching to see Mr. Burke walking P.T., who was rushing excitedly to Jess.

For once, Jess was happy to see Bill. He waved.

"Hey Jess!"

They were both to Jess now, with P.T. jumping all over him.

"Hi Mr. Bur—uh, Bill."

"How have you been these days?"

Jess had a million things to say at that moment.

_Miserable! Lonely! Sad! Upset! Regretful! Hurt! _He wanted to shout, wanted to spit out all of the poison in him that had been bubbling up since the fight.

"Fine."

"That's good." Bill's smile was so oblivious to Jess's pain. "What are you drawing?"

"Uhhh…" He quickly shut his notebook. "Nothing."

Bill didn't seem taken back from this behavior. "Say, have you eaten yet? It's nearly 6:00."

Jess hadn't even realized how late it was. His growling stomach suddenly became obvious to him.

"No, I should go—"

"Hey, you don't have to walk off. I haven't eaten yet either. Leslie and her mom are gone shopping, and I'm not a good cook…do you want to get something to eat? Like, get a hamburger, or something?"

Jess was surprised. He _was_ hungry, and hadn't had a hamburger in so long…

"That's sounds cool."

Bill smiled. "I'll talk to your parents."

_•••_

The car ride to the restaurant was awkwardly silent, with Jess scribbling away in his notebook.

"So…why haven't you been around?" Bill seemed interested.

"I've been…um, really busy."

Bill was quiet for a few moments. Jess felt like an idiot not telling the truth.

"You know, when I was a kid, I had a friend named Joe. We were best friends since kindergarten."

Jess listened intently.

"One day on the school playground, there was a cool pair of sunglasses. We both liked it, and suddenly we were fighting about who found it. It got so bad, and turned into a really ugly battle of words. Joe suddenly took the sunglasses from me and broke them in half. "It's not worth our friendship." He said, but I didn't listen. Our friendship was never the same."

Jess could only look down. He didn't know what to say.

"And now that I look back at it, a piece of used plastic _junk_ wasn't worth our friendship at all. If I could go back, I would forget about it, and maybe he would have still been my friend."

Jess looked up over the dashboard. The fast food restaurant came in sight. "Let's go through the drive through." He suggested. Bill nodded. "We can eat in the car."

_•••_

Leslie leaned her head against the window. She knew why her mom had suggested this little shopping trip. Not that it wouldn't be fun, but she needed an excuse to "talk". Leslie decided to act dumb.

"Mom, why did you schedule this shopping trip?"

Her mom smiled lightly. "I thought we could talk."

_Never gets old._ Leslie smiled to herself. "Ok…so what are we going to talk about?"  
Her mom smirked. "What do you think?"

Leslie frowned. "Why I've been moping around the house for almost a month?"

"Bingo."

"Well, what about it?"

"What's up with you?"

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"Come on…you can tell me. What happened?"

Leslie sighed. "We had a fight. He was being too over-protective, and I got mad. It was stupid. He wouldn't let me do anything."

"And why was that?"

"I don't know. Why would he act that way? I don't get it."

"He had a reason." Leslie looked at her Mom. "And that is…?"

"What do you think?"

Leslie looked out the window again, and tried to understand what her mother meant.

**Next chapter coming soon :) I have changed my intended ending very slightly. You'll see in time…**

**There are almost 4 chapters left in the story! Stay tuned, and please read and review!**

**Thanks, Oracle**


	8. Lost and Found

**Chapter 8: Lost and Found**

"Thank you very much for dinner, Mr. Burke."

"Don't mention it, Jess." He said back, smiling.

Jess smiled lightly, then turned to go toward his house. "And…Jess?"

He turned back around, surprised.

"She needs you."

Jess looked down, then nodded, and continued on his way to his house. He looked behind his shoulder the whole way, watching the familiar car park next door. He had only opened the screen door when he saw another car speed down the road, remembering Bill's words, _Leslie and her mom are gone shopping_

_**The last thing I want to do is see Leslie.**_ He thought bitterly, and continued in the house to his room.

Once there, he flopped on his bed and opened his notebook. There were only a few pages left. His pencil hit the paper, but no inspiration came.

He only glanced out the window to see the familiar blonde hair of Leslie walking down the path to Terabithia.

Jess was surprised. He had assumed that she had abandoned the old place like he had.

_She needs you._ Bill's voice reminded him in his head. He was suddenly aware of how much time he had wasted. Looking at the calendar, he realized that nearly a month had gone by since their fight. _That can't be right…_

School would be over…school _was_ over. It would be tomorrow. Wasn't he doing something tomorrow…? _Oh no…the dance! It's tomorrow!_

They had both forgotten all about it. The fight…a month…it was all too much.

For once, he finally admitted it to himself.

_I miss her. I've got to talk to her._

Grabbing his notebook and his coat, he headed for the door.

●●●

The bridge was worn down in color and appearance. The water smoothly glided by below him. The trees swayed softly in the wind, but were also dull in color. The magic was gone.

He closed his eyes and stood there, alone at the foot of the bridge, wondering whether he should really go in or not. _This could change everything._ He thought, the warning rang in his head. _For the better._

He took a step. Then another, until he was halfway across already.

_What will I say? 'Hi Leslie, the reason I haven't talked to you in a month is because…'_

He sighed. _What if she won't talk to me? If she's still mad at me? What if she changed._

He stood there again, not wanting to move forward or back. _What if she won't forgive me?_

His fear got the better of him, and he ran back to the safety of the front of the bridge.

_I can't just leave…_It was too hard to. He had to do _something._

_The bridge…I can draw it in the notebook, so I can settle my mind._

Inspired, he started to sketch, sitting a little ways away so he could fully see the bridge.

Although it was worn down and dull, it was still beautiful. It needed repairs, but he figured Leslie could do it since she was so into fixing stuff.

On and on he sketched, capturing every visible detail. It was almost completed when he heard leaves crackle, the sound of walking feet. Panicked, he looked up, seeing Leslie in the distance walking toward the bridge.

_Toward ME. Crap!_

He picked himself up and ran to the nearest bush, squatting out of sight and watching.

Her footsteps were soft, barely shaking the bridge like he did when he was on it.

For the first time in a long time, he got a better look at her. She still had her beautiful eyes, but the sparkle in them was gone. He face was lean and strained, and by her expression, she looked almost pleased with herself.

She seemed unaware of him as she walked right to the spot he had been sitting at before. Leslie was on to him, and he assumed she had already predicted his hiding place. Quietly as he could, Jess backed away from the bush, and made a dart for the road. _If I go the long way, she won't see me!_

He stumbled through the trees and ran as fast as he could down the road. _Don't look back. _

As soon as he got to his house he hurried up to his room, where he finally caught his breath. Now, he was disappointed that he couldn't finish the drawing. He searched for his notebook.

_The notebook! I left it in Terabithia!_

He raked his hand nervously through his hair. _She'll see the drawings…she knows everything. Crap! Stupid, stupid Aarons!_

He made plans that as soon as he got home from school the next day, he would go to Terabithia to get his notebook. No matter what the costs, not even if he had to confront Leslie, he would get that notebook back…somehow.

THE NEXT DAY

AFTER SCHOOL

The bus ride seemed even longer as usual with his after school plans in mind. The unusual overcast June day had dampened his spirits even more. MayBelle chatted a mile a minute as usual, and as usual, he ignored her. It felt like the day had already been wasted when he finally saw his house. The clouds seemed ready to give way any moment.

He threw his backpack in the grass, looking down the road. He glanced over to Leslie's house, but couldn't tell through her window if she was there or not. He reminded himself that it didn't matter, and walked down the road with determination.

●●●

The bridge was empty, and his notebook was nowhere in sight. He searched everywhere, but had no luck. He even looked down into the river to see if it had been tossed in by accident, but knew it would be well down the current by now.

He sat defeated on the bridge's edge, knowing what he would have to do. If the notebook was gone, there was only one other option:

Leslie had it.

He had hoped that she hadn't gotten a hold of it. The thought ruined him. _She'll find out!_

He just wanted to get it over with. It was his notebook, after all. She couldn't keep it away from him. He sighed, then mustered up his courage and walked across the bridge.

The tree house was the same as the bridge in dull color. He backed up, trying to see if Leslie was in there.

"Leslie?" His voice nearly cracked when he said her name.

No response.

He felt relief and hurried up to the top. _Maybe she left it here. If that's the case, I can just take it! It's the perfect plan!_

He smiled with confidence, entering into the little fort.

And was struck with awe at what he saw.

ALL of his drawings that he had thrown out the window that day were hanging up neatly all around the house, a sanctuary of his work. They rustled with the wind, and yet didn't seem a bit damaged. Everywhere he looked, he saw the drawings, each with a memory. And it hit him that Leslie had never gotten over him.

She was just as miserable as he had been for the past month.

Huddled up in the back corner, turning the pages of his notebook as if they were pages of a novel, was Leslie herself.

She was pale, far paler that he had expected her to be. The color in her eyes was faded, as were her clothes and skin. The sparkle in her eye was back, making her more beautiful than he had ever seen her.

He walked slowly carefully, until he was directly in front of her. She seemed to take no notice fore several seconds.

"Leslie?"

She looked up, and for the first time in a month, her eyes locked with his.


	9. Confessions

Chapter 9: Confessions

For a long moment, both of them were speechless, starring at each other with wide, yet searching, eyes.

She looked different to Jess. Her skin was a little paler, her eyes duller than they had been. And yet, she still had the spark that ignited her imagination. It was barely there, like a flame about to go out, but it was there.

He also noticed the notebook, which she held carefully in her fingertips. By the look on her face, she had already seen too much. For a second, he was angry, angry that his secret was out. That was _his _notebook. It was _private_ and she had no authority right to snoop in it. Then he turned a million shades of red at the thought: _She knows._

Leslie was the first to speak. "Hi." Her eyes never lifted from his.

He couldn't seem to look away. "Hi." He said back, but his voice broke.

"So, you finally came around, huh?" She smirked at him now. He smiled back. "Yeah, I guess." He turned to look at all of the drawings, pinned up in every spot his eyes could see in the tree house. "You have quite the collection…no wonder I couldn't find any of them that day." It then hit him that she had been just as miserable as he was…and that she had even missed him.

"We have a lot of explaining to do." Leslie said suddenly. Jess looked at her again. "Yeah."

"Why don't you sit down?" She offered. In response, he sat across from her, folding his arms comfortably over his knees.

"Ok, shoot."

Leslie looked down at her shoes. "Well, how have you been this past month?"

Jess's mind once again raced. _Terrible.__ Hurt. __Miserable. __Bitter. __Sulky. __Depressed. __Sad. __Lonely. __**Leslie, I can't survive without you.**_

"I've been…ok."

She laughed without humor, and then looked down again, seriously. "I…haven't been…ok, Jess. I've been feeling lonely and terrible…ever since the fight."

She stopped, seemingly unable to go on, but she continued anyway.

"I wasn't thinking that night, and I'm sorry. I was hurting you by risking my safety, and I should be more careful. But Jess, you can't make me someone other than who I am. I'm very independent, but I'll admit that I need todon't know when to stop sometimes. So…will you been there one to stop me?"

Jess nodded, standing up. Leslie did the same.

Leslie smiled again. "Do you have anything to say…?"

Jess looked back to her hands, where she securely held his notebook. "Can…I have my notebook back, please?"

Leslie once warm smiled turned cold. "Is _that _why you came here?"

_Oh crap…_

"I thought you came here for--?" Leslie huffed, shoving his notebook in his hands with such force that he was almost knocked off his feet. She sat up straight, and looked him in the eyes without the warmth of before. "I have to go." She then started out the door, without looking back.

_I am such an idiot!_ The notebook slipped out of his grasp and clattered to the floor. He didn't even notice. By that time, he had run to the door. "Leslie!"

BOOM! The thunder cracked, and it was close. The rain began to fall lightly;, then it became torrential.

He saw Leslie stop, right in the middle of her run, looking up at the sky. In response, the thunder boomed even louder than before, startling her. She zipped up her sweatshirt and put up the hood. Realizing that she needed shelter, she turned back to the tree house, but knew she couldn't go back there. So she gave up, and let the rain fall, soaking her.

Jess put his own hood up, starting down from the tree house. He ran up to her, the mud sloshing under his feet. She had her back to him, but he grabbed her arm from behind. "Leslie, we gotta get out of here!"

She yanked her hand back. "Where? I'm stuck here, with _you_." She turned away again, but he grabbed took her arm back, this time with force. "I didn't mean what I said back there. I _did_ want to see you!"

"Oh really…?" She had to yell over the pounding of the rain, which helped to dissipate her anger.

"I was too proud to admit how I've been the past month! The truth is…I've been just as miserable as you've been! I've missed you so much, Leslie."

Now she only just stared at him. All that could be heard was the rain falling around them.

"Why did you come back?" She yelled. " she said, as he returned her gaze. "Not now, but when I almost drowned in the river? How did you know that…that I needed you?"

They both just stood there for a second, panting and squinting through the rain, drumming like drums in their ears.

Leslie's eyes were getting to him again. She stared at him, waiting for an answer. Jess was hesitant. This was the moment of truth. _She deserves to know…_

He raised his hands in defeat. "Why do you think?" He asked, never leaving her eyes.

At first, Leslie looked confused, lost. Then, a look of shock came on her face.

_I knew it…she'll hate me now._ He turned to leave, heading to the bridge. He had only taken two steps when he heard, "Wait."

He turned around, not ready for her reaction. He was surprised when her expression was softer, no longer confused. She walked over to him, only a few inches away. "You've felt this the whole time…and didn't say anything?" She was smirking now. He sighed, looking down. "I was afraid…you didn't feel the same way."

Leslie took a step closer now. "Jess…" She put her hand softly on his arm. "You're wrong."

The rain was still falling, but all Jess could see was Leslie. At first, he couldn't believe his ears. "Really?"

She laughed. "I've known ever since you hugged me that day you got P.T. Ever since you invited me to church…when we created Terabithia…I've known all along. And I don't think I can survive another minute without you."

He looked up now, into her eyes where she was looking up at him. "So, let me get this straight…we've both like each other, but were both too scared to admit our feelings?"

"Pretty much, yeah." They both laughed. "And, Jess, I was kind of wondering…about your drawings…that's when it really hit me hard. Were they of me?"

She meant the notebook of course. "Well, who else would I be drawing?" Then in his thoughts, he added "And why did you pin up all of those pictures I drew? It looked like a mini-Jess-Sanctuary." He smiled at the thought. He said, "I was surprised to see my old stuff in the castle."

"I told you I was miserable!" She sighed. "I abandoned Terabithia like you did, and when you threw out all of your hard work…it seemed like such a waste. It was the only place I could come where there was still a piece that I could hold on to."

It thundered again, making them both stare up at the sky. "Come on, we _really_ gotta go now." Jess took her hand, never letting it go, and they both ran back to the tree house, scrambling up to the shelter from the rain. Leslie was the first up, shivering violently. No sooner had Jess gotten up, that he realized something. "Trees aren't safe to stay in during a thunderstorm." Leslie huffed. "There you go again, Mr. Safety. What's better: a wide, open area, or a tree house? Take your pick."

Jess peeked out into the now muddy Terabithia. "The rain has slowed down…I think it's ok to go out there."

"Maybe we should just go home." Leslie suggested.

"No, not yet."

"Why not? It's crappy weather and—"

"Leslie, don't you remember? The dance!"

Leslie eyes widened. "I forgot all about that! Darn it…"

Jess got an idea, and took her hand again and with a slight bow asked, "May I have this dance?"

"What?" Leslie laughed, dropping her hand to her side. "There's no music."

"Well, so? I asked you to the dance. This will have to do."

"But…I can't dance."

"_I_ will teach you what I know. Just follow my lead. You can step on my feet for all I care." He held out his hand to her again. "My lady?"

Leslie was embarrassed. She had never danced with anyone but her father…once at a wedding. But she trusted Jess…he wouldn't care if she was awful… would he?

She took his hand. "Ok." He smiled, and guided her outside, down to Terabithia below. "Well, we're already soaked, so does it matter?" They walked out to where they were before, all of the trees swaying in response.

"Are you ready?"

Leslie nodded. She slipped her hand into his again, resting her other hand on his shoulder. He put his arm around her waist, and they slow danced.

It was a little awkward at first, but the dance became natural for both of them. No words passed between them, nor did they need to. There was no music but the sound of the wind, and the rain, and the trees. The only thing they saw was each other.

And that was how the time passed.

Leslie was trembling. She became distracted under Jess's touch.

"What is it?"

"It's just so cold." She whispered. She pulled away, folding her arms to warm herself.

"Hey…" Jess rubbed her arms, trying to warm them, then he held her close to him in a protective hug. She held him tightly, burying her face in his shoulder.

The rain was just a drizzle now. Jess rested his head on hers, not knowing if he should say something, or just to savor the moment. The silence continued.

"Why are you always so warm?" Leslie said, shivering. Jess smiled down at her. "Someone's gotta warm those icy fingers of yours." And he took her hands between his own. "I gotta be of some use to you."

She giggled. They were eye to eye now.

"I still can't believe how far we've come. All this time…"

He rested his forehead on hers and sighed. "I know."

They both closed their eyes. It was then that he heard the music.

At first, he thought he was hearing things. But then it got louder. "Leslie, do you hear that?" He looked around, and Leslie did the same.

"Yeah, I hear it too."

They were looking in opposite directions. "Jess, look!"

And when he did, he saw someone come out of the fog.

It was a Terabithian.

No, not just one. There were dozens, all coming out of the fog and rain, each holding an instrument. There were flutes, guitars…all styled in a unique, Terabithian way. There were even a few they couldn't recognize. All were silent.

"Leslie, did you do this?" Jess whispered. She shook her head frantically. "I thought _you _did…"

One of the Terabithians smiled, and started playing her flute and began to dance in a circle around the King and Queen. The others followed her example, playing their own instruments, encircling them with the sound of the sweet music, and it blocked out the rain all together.

Jess looked at Leslie. "Wow…"

She nodded, in awe. "Yeah."

"Shall we?" He bowed, offering his hand for another dance. "Let's show them their King and Queen."

She giggled again. "Of course."

They danced again, this time without stopping. It wasn't cold anymore. Leslie rested her head on Jess's shoulder, and thought, _I want this moment to last forever._

**In a way, this is the end, but it is only the beginning of the end. Next chapter coming soon!**

**Oracle**** :3**


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